


Cut Too Deep

by LuckyLadybug



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Brothers, During Canon, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, Male Friendship, Post-Canon, Redemption, Science Fiction, Self-Hatred, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27654884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyLadybug/pseuds/LuckyLadybug
Summary: In my post-DM series, Pendulum Swings verse, the Big Five's Lector stumbles across a post-Earthbound Immortals Kalin Kessler, traumatized and devastated by his actions as a Dark Signer. How will Kalin react to Domino City of the past? And how will Domino of the past react to him, especially if they learn of their future?
Comments: 28
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The characters are not mine and the story is! I felt like I had to mark this as a crossover even if I only include one character from 5Ds, since he'll be a main player in the action. (At this point, I'm not sure, but that's the current plan.) For those coming in from the 5Ds side of things, this takes place in a post-Duel Monsters verse I call The Pendulum Swings. It redeemed many of the antagonists of the classic YGO series, but not all, and also had Atem return because he missed Yugi and company too much. I am going to try to use this fic to explore the Domino City of 5Ds and try to fill in the gaps they didn't explain that just don't quite make sense to a YGO Classic fan. But I also hope to write something that will please the 5Ds fans, as I am quite fond of the characters even though I'll never not be heartbroken at how Domino City ended up in 5Ds verse! In the 5Ds timeline, this takes place after Earthbound Immortals but before the Crash Town arc.

The Christmas season dawned on Domino City cloudy and snowy, bringing with it a city all too eager to celebrate the holiday after the disaster with Zorc and Yami Marik from earlier that year. The joyous time was welcomed in by all, especially Yugi and all of his extended friend-family. There had mostly been peace since that double defeat, but there were still unsolved problems like the Vikings' Eon Items, and everyone was anxious to focus on something beautiful and meaningful.

Lector was out walking on a cold night not long after Thanksgiving, pulling his purple coat close against the biting wind and softly falling snowflakes. He often wandered around the neighborhood after dark, just reflecting on the day or his friends or on his life in general. Sometimes Nesbitt walked with him and they talked about their feelings and thoughts together. Tonight, however, he was by himself.

Or he was, until a figure stumbled out of the darkness and rammed right into him. Both jumped.

"Excuse me," the stranger mumbled. He stepped back.

Lector studied him in surprise. The newcomer also liked trenchcoats; his was black. His light-blue straight hair fell over his eyes and down his back, but Lector could see enough of the pale face to recognize that he was haunted. He was physically not much older than a teenager, but from the look in his eyes, he was decades past that.

"That's alright," Lector finally spoke. "Is there anything I can help you with? You seem troubled."

A hollow laugh. "No one can help me," the boy said. "For what I've done in the past, I must find an appropriate punishment for myself."

Lector stared at him. That did not sound healthy in the least. And he couldn't help but be reminded of Nesbitt and his struggles with self-worth and the desire to punish himself for wrongdoings.

"What did you do in the past?" Lector frowned. "If it was against the law, you could simply turn yourself in to the authorities."

"Oh, it was definitely against the law," was the reply, "only there's no real charges they could bring against me. I accepted an evil supernatural force and terrorized my former best friend. I didn't care who I hurt or what I had to do just as long as I could bring him down. I thought he'd betrayed me, but it was I who betrayed him."

A chill ran up Lector's spine. The story haunted him. And how to bring supernatural enemies to justice was certainly a problem they often ran into. They usually ended up having to either Mind Crush them or send them to the Shadow Realm. But if they were repentant and no longer a threat, nothing was done to them. Nothing could be done that would be worse than what they would do to themselves.

"What kind of supernatural force was this?" he asked in concern. "Is it still around?" He hadn't heard about anything new. As a matter of fact, everything had been unusually peaceful in Domino City for weeks.

"It's been defeated." The boy started to turn away.

"That's good," Lector said slowly. "But I'm worried about you, Sir. I don't like the thought of just letting you go off in your condition. You remind me of one of my dear friends."

A pause. "I'll be alright. I'm not planning to kill myself. That would be too easy." He looked back. "What is your friend like? He surely couldn't have done anything like I've done. There is no forgiveness for that."

"That is exactly how he's felt," Lector insisted. "Once he was mind-controlled by an evil magical being and caused me to get hurt. He has never forgiven himself for that."

A scoff. "Mind-control isn't the same thing. He has no reason to blame himself for something that wasn't his fault. I was corrupted, not mind-controlled."

"He's done things on his own as well," Lector said. "He's impulsive and has a bad temper and he tends to blurt things out that he shouldn't. He's hurt me that way sometimes. He hasn't forgiven himself for that either. But he's tried to move on from all those things. Why don't you come back with me? You could talk to him, and maybe to some of our other friends. We have all done terrible things in the past because we let our hatred and anger and pain get the best of us. But we were forgiven by those we hurt . . . even though it's been much more difficult for us to forgive ourselves."

Now finally some interest. "What did you do?"

"If you agree to come back with me, I'll tell you about it," Lector said.

A slow nod. "Alright."

"My name is Démas Lector," said Lector. "What's yours, if I may ask?"

"Kalin Kessler," said the young man, but he froze as he stared at Lector again. "You're from the Big Five?!"

"That's right," Lector said in surprise. "You know about us?"

"Everyone in town knows about Seto Kaiba's wayward board of directors," Kalin grunted.

"I suppose that's true," Lector said. "But I'm afraid I haven't heard of you, Mr. Kessler."

"Consider yourself lucky for that," Kalin said flatly.

Lector sighed. "Well, if you don't mind my asking, would you be adverse to coming back with me now that you know my identity?"

"No," Kalin said. "How can I blame you or your friends for what you did considering what I did?"

Lector gave a sad smile. "That is a kind of logic understood best by the fallen. But the good news is that the fallen can rise again. All of us have. Committing horrible crimes isn't the end of it."

"It is for me," Kalin said.

Lector sighed. "Let's go talk to the others."

Kalin walked agreeably with Lector up the snowy street. Unlike how Lector was bundled against the cold, Kalin didn't bother to close his coat at all, and the only top he was wearing under it was a gray undershirt.

Lector frowned. "Surely you're cold."

"Not really," Kalin replied. "I'm used to the cold."

Well, as long as that was the only reason. . . .

"Have you lived here all of your life?" Lector asked.

A slight pause. ". . . Most of it, yes."

"I would never want to move, but I have never gotten used to the cold," Lector said. "I'm from New Orleans."

"I can tell from your accent," Kalin said.

They turned the corner and nearly walked into someone coming from the other direction. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" a scratchy voice exclaimed with indignation.

"I apologize," Lector said. He looked down in surprise at the strange, short boy glowering at him. He wasn't familiar, and yet somehow Lector did think he'd seen him somewhere before. He frowned. How odd.

Kalin didn't look impressed. "You could watch where you're going too," he said to the kid.

"Oh yeah?!" was the angry retort.

". . . That is true," Lector mused. "It's a corner, and that makes it difficult for anyone to see very well what's going on from either direction."

"Hmph." The short boy scowled, but when he really took note of Lector's height and muscle, he thought better of challenging the objection and simply stalked past.

Kalin's eyes narrowed. "What an entitled little . . ." But then he shook his head and looked away. "The rich are always trying to assert themselves over the poor."

". . . I am still quite wealthy," Lector said carefully. "And while that's sometimes true about the rich, I have honestly seen poor people who are just as bad. Social standing is not the only factor in whether people are mistreated or not. Not to mention, we don't really know whether that boy is rich or poor."

Kalin clenched a fist. "You're right. I was never wealthy, and I became the worst one of all. I can never forget that."

If Lector hadn't been wearing his hat, he would have run a hand through his hair. He had thought it had been hard dealing with Nesbitt in his states of self-hatred, but it looked like this would be much harder. Still, he certainly wasn't about to throw in the towel and abandon the boy.

"Hi, Lector!"

Both of them jumped as Mokuba Kaiba suddenly appeared now, beaming to see his friend.

Lector smiled. "Hello, Mokuba. I thought you might be out enjoying the snowfall tonight."

"Oh yeah! Totally!" Mokuba placed his hands behind his head.

"This is my new friend, Kalin Kessler," Lector said, gesturing to the young man. "Mr. Kessler, this is Mokuba Kaiba."

Kalin went oddly stiff. "Mokuba . . . Kaiba?" he gasped. He stared at the child as though not really believing what he was seeing. Or perhaps, who he was seeing.

"Uh, yeah," Mokuba frowned. He gave Kalin an equally odd look.

Kalin brought a hand to his forehead. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I just . . . I didn't think I'd be seeing you here." He looked to Lector. "Maybe it would be better if I didn't go back with you right now."

Lector peered at him. "Are you not feeling well?"

"I . . . I guess you could say that," Kalin said.

"Because of me?" Mokuba frowned now too.

"No!" Kalin exclaimed. "Not because of you. It's just . . . this isn't a good idea. I'm sorry for troubling you." He looked at Lector. "I'll just go now." Before Lector could react or reply at all, Kalin vanished into the thickening snowstorm.

"Wait!" Lector cried. He reached out, desperate to grab the boy's coat, but to no avail.

Mokuba stared. "That was really weird," he said. "Where do you know him from, Lector?"

"I just barely met him," Lector explained. He hurried forward into the swirling flakes. "He's in a bad way, filled with self-hatred for something he did in the past and desirous to punish himself for it. I can't leave him out in this! I don't know what he might try to do to himself!"

Mokuba chased after him. "And why'd he get all weird when he saw me?! I don't get it!"

"I don't either, unless . . ." But Lector trailed off. Surely it wouldn't have anything to do with Kalin's feelings on the rich, since he had ended up going back to feeling like he was worse than anyone else. . . .

"Unless what?" Mokuba asked.

Lector shook his head. "Mr. Kessler!" he called. "Where are you?!" But his voice was lost in the wind and snow, and he had the feeling that Kalin wouldn't answer him anyway. He pulled out his phone and swiftly dialed a familiar number.

"What are you gonna do?" Mokuba looked up at him.

"I'm going to see if Nesbitt can find anything out about him," Lector said. "If I know where he might go, I can try looking for him in those places."

"That's a good idea," Mokuba said.

Lector waited tensely until he heard the deep "Hello?"

"Nesbitt, I've got a problem," Lector told him. "I met a very troubled young man named Kalin Kessler and now he's run off into the snowstorm! I can't find him! Could you try looking him up and see if you can find out where he lives or who his family and friends are?"

Nesbitt grunted. "Yeah. Just a minute." The sound of his typing came over the phone.

"What's going on?" came Johnson's voice in the background. "Lector is picking up strays now?"

"This is not the time, Johnson," Nesbitt grunted. "Lector's really worried about this kid. . . . What the . . . ?!"

"What is it?!" Lector exclaimed.

"There's nothing!" Nesbitt cried. "No address, no records. . . . I'm even trying looking him up on government databases. It's like he doesn't exist!"

"Maybe he gave a fake name," Mokuba suggested. "I can have Seto try to look him up too. . . ." Wanting to be helpful, he took out his phone to call.

Lector sighed. "Yes, that must be it, I suppose. . . . But then trying to look him up will be a waste of time! I'd better just keep looking in the storm."

"You can't do that all by yourself," Nesbitt objected. "I'll come help. Maybe I'll bring Crump too, since he probably knows the best of any of us how to navigate a snowstorm."

"Thank you," Lector said. "Both of you." He looked down at Mokuba, having addressed the second part to him.

"I can help look too," Mokuba offered.

Lector smiled. "I doubt your brother would want you wandering through a snowstorm, Mokuba, but I certainly appreciate the offer."

"I'd stay right with you," Mokuba insisted. "At least until Nesbitt and Crump get here. . . ."

At last Lector relented. Surely that would be acceptable to Seto, after all the months they had spent bonding by now. "Alright. Thank you, Mokuba." He turned his attention back to the phone. "We're not too far from the house. Maybe a couple of blocks North."

"Okay," Nesbitt said. "I'm going to get Crump now."

"Thank you," Lector said. He hung up, frowning. "I wonder where on Earth he'd go. . . ."

"Probably as far away from here as he could get," Mokuba said.

"He did say he'd come from the poor part of the city," Lector remembered. "Maybe when the others come, we'd better start heading in that direction."

"Works for me," Mokuba said.

****

Kalin ran blindly through the snow, barely caring as it stung his face and hands. Inwardly he cursed himself for his failure. How could he have done that? It had been shocking to see Mokuba, but . . . he had already ruined things in his own time. He couldn't turn the past on its head too. And yet it looked like that was exactly what he had started to do. Now that poor man was worried about him too, for running off. He didn't realize Kalin wasn't worth it, that he could never be worth it after everything he had done . . . to Yusei, to his Domino City, to the innocent kids he had once fought for. . . .

"I never should have stayed here," he snarled to himself. "As soon as I realized I'd crossed into a different Domino City, I should have immediately gone back. . . ."

But in spite of how much he hated himself, he hadn't been able to bring himself to do that. Domino had looked so different, so beautiful and so united. He'd had to stay and look around for at least a little bit. Now his curiosity had cost him, and maybe even the people who lived here.

On the other hand . . .

He slowly decreased his speed to a walk. If Lector caught up with him . . . if he told all . . . would that really be a bad thing? They would know their future, but on the other hand, maybe they would be able to prevent it. If they could stop the reactor explosion that had torn Domino City apart in so many ways, maybe they would all have better futures. Maybe he would never do all that he had done.

What was he thinking?! He couldn't try to gain redemption for himself by erasing everything. If his future changed, what would become of Yusei? Of Crow and Jack? Even Rally and the others Yusei had befriended? They would all be different people. Maybe they wouldn't even know each other. That wouldn't be right either, would it?

He sank against the side of a building, staring up hopelessly at the snowflakes swirling out of the sky. If this had happened so long ago, before he had become consumed by hate and had starved to death in The Facility and accepted the evil force of the Dark Signers' power, he would have jumped at the chance to change everything, to rewrite history so that Domino City would be different. But now, after he had committed such grievous, unforgivable sins, how could he possibly think of making such a selfish move?

It was selfish, wasn't it? To think of changing everyone's lives just to change his own?

Or would it really be just for that reason? If it was for everyone else more than him, would that make it different?

What if they wouldn't want their lot changed? What if Yusei lived in the heart of the city with his rich family and never met the others? Or what if they met but didn't become friends? What if Yusei grew up a rich snob or worse?

. . . What if they all lived better because Domino City was never divided? Maybe they would all still meet and become friends, but under happier circumstances.

Kalin sighed and turned away from the wall. It was too much pressure. He was in no state of mind to think of weighing everyone's futures in his hands. He wasn't capable of making such a tremendous decision.

"Hello? Are you okay?"

He jumped a mile at the new, unfamiliar voice. When he turned to look, the short boy looking up at him again made him gasp in shock. "Yugi Muto," he realized.

"Um, yeah." Yugi looked a little embarrassed, realizing that he had been recognized for his title and not by someone who personally knew him.

"You really seem upset," he tried again. "And it's awfully cold out here. Why don't you come in and warm up?"

Kalin turned, really looking at the building he had leaned against. The Turtle Game Shop. . . . That only made him conflicted all the more. In his Domino City, the game shop and Yugi were . . .

He opened his mouth to protest, but the door was opening and an elderly man was stepping out to survey the scene. "Here now, what's this?" he frowned.

"I just found him here, Grampa," Yugi said worriedly. "He seems really upset and cold."

"Well, you're coming inside right now," the man declared. "You shouldn't be running around on a night like this!"

Kalin stared at him. "No, I'm fine, really. . . ."

"Nonsense!" Suddenly Kalin was being physically pushed towards the door. "It's never going to be said that Solomon Muto let a cold stranger leave when he should have stayed! You'll come inside and get warm, and that's final!"

Kalin opened his mouth again, but nothing came out. In all his short life, he had never encountered adults who actually wanted to help him. All he could think to do was to keep blankly walking and let himself be pushed through a door leading to more of the past.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I thought the Game Shop was probably either destroyed or a mess from Zero Reverse, and probably on the Satellite piece of the city. Then I realized it likely depends on how far it is from the water, as it must have been the half of the city closest to the water that broke off. I kind of feel like the shop seems to be more inland.

The Turtle Game Shop was indeed warm and inviting inside. Kalin looked around, taking in the glass cases filled with old and new cards and rare treasures from every release at this point in time. He didn't even recognize many, if not most, of them. In his time, Industrial Illusions mostly made new cards, although a few perennial favorites had stayed in print.

"Do you like to duel?" Yugi asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh. Yes." Kalin sounded far away as he studied the glass cases. "Dueling is all I have now. . . ."

Yugi exchanged a concerned look with Solomon. "Maybe we could have a duel while you warm up," he suggested.

"I'd like that," Kalin said. But he quickly realized the problem that might present. If he dueled . . . if Yugi saw his unfamiliar cards . . . that would already be turning time on its head, wouldn't it? "I really shouldn't stay long, though," he hurried to add.

"Do you have any family or friends we could call?" Solomon asked.

"No one." Kalin wouldn't meet his hosts' concerned eyes. Yusei would be concerned about him for some unfathomable reason, but even if Kalin was willing to contact him, he wasn't here. Not in this Domino City.

Yugi led him to the stairs at the back of the shop. "Do you live here?" he wondered.

"Yes," Kalin replied, as he had with Lector. It wasn't really an untruth, and yet it wasn't the full truth either.

They went up the stairs and into a cozy living room. Yugi hurried to move magazines and his Duel Disk off the couch. "You can sit here," he said. "I'll go tell Atem we have a guest and get some hot chocolate."

Kalin quirked an eyebrow. "Atem?"

"My . . . Egyptian cousin," Yugi explained haltingly. "I'll be right back!" He dashed off, leaving Kalin alone with Solomon.

"You know, I don't think we even got your name yet," Solomon remarked.

"Kalin Kessler," Kalin mumbled, staring blankly at the television set. Both a Blu-Ray/DVD combo player and a VCR were set up around the television. Apparently they liked to embrace both the old and the new. Of course, even Blu-Ray was old where he was from.

"I don't rightly think I've heard of any Kesslers in town," Solomon said. "Of course, it's grown up a lot! Where do you live?"

Kalin hesitated again, far too long. How could he answer without it sounding suspicious and strange? The Turtle Game Shop had stayed with the part of Domino City that had become New Domino City and he of course hadn't lived anywhere around there, although he had heard of the place due to it being the home of the legendary original King of Games.

". . . Not around here," he said at last. "Closer around the docks."

"Ahh, I see," Solomon nodded. "You traveled quite a way then!"

_You don't know the half of it. I passed through some kind of portal that opened in space and now I'm in the past._

". . . I like to walk," Kalin said.

"Well, it's sure not a night made for walking," Solomon said. "They're promising snow all through the night! We could give you a lift back home, if you'd like."

"Thank you, but no," Kalin immediately replied. "I . . . can't go home."

"Oh?" Solomon frowned in kind but stern concern and sat on the other side of the couch. "Care to tell me why not?"

Kalin looked away. "I betrayed my oldest friend. I'm finally out of his life again; I can't go back."

"Are you sure he doesn't want you back anyway?" Solomon studied him with searching eyes.

Kalin got up abruptly and turned away. "If he does, he's a fool," he spat. "I only bring pain and heartache to everyone I come in contact with. He should be glad I'm out of his life."

"That's not the way friendship works," came a new and deep voice.

Kalin jumped a mile. As he turned, he found himself looking at someone who resembled Yugi more than a little bit. Yugi stood next to him, holding a tray with four mugs of hot chocolate.

"In a true friendship, the love and caring never ends, no matter what has happened," the Egyptian—Atem—said. "You will always be welcomed back."

Yugi set the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch. "That's right!" He looked at Kalin with a bittersweet smile. "Atem and I have been through some rough patches that have really hurt, but it's never destroyed our friendship."

Kalin slowly took one of the mugs. "It couldn't have been anything like what I did," he objected.

"And just what did you do?" Atem asked. He, Yugi, and Solomon each took one of the other mugs.

Kalin stared into his before slowly sipping the beverage. "I became twisted by hatred and bitterness. I thought my oldest friend had betrayed me and I accepted an evil magical force to get back at him." He gripped the mug. "But I wasn't seeing things clearly at all! He never betrayed me. I turned against him and everything good and righteous that I had once fought for!"

Atem and Yugi exchanged a grim look.

". . . So did I," Atem said at last.

Kalin looked up with a jerk. "What?!"

Atem heaved a sigh. "Yugi and I have been very close for years and we have fought against many enemies together. But then came the Orichalcos. It was an evil force that preyed on people's weaknesses and twisted their minds and hearts. I still don't fully know how it happened . . . how I could have let it happen . . . but I . . . I gave into it."

"It must have been that the stone you were wearing reacted to the Seal of Orichalcos card when Raphael gave it to you and it started to poison your mind," Yugi said. "That's the only thing I can think of."

"I suppose it's the only thing that makes sense," Atem said. "It preyed on my desire to win and I became bent on the idea that I could not lose the duel I was playing against one of the Orichalcos Swordsmen. The thing was that if the card called the Seal of Orichalcos was in play, whoever lost the duel would lose his soul. But the card wasn't in play; nothing would have happened had I lost! And yet I . . . I was obsessed with the idea that I could not lose. Raphael had given the card to me to tempt me, to see if I would give in to my darkness and play it . . . and I did." His hands shook and he set the mug back on the tray. "I let my darkness consume me and I refused to listen when Yugi tried to stop me. Then, when I ended up losing, Yugi forced the Seal to take his soul instead of mine, to save me." His voice cracked.

Solomon looked down at his mug. He had heard the story before, but it was still sobering and sickening.

Kalin just stared at them. "How did you ever live with yourself?!" he exclaimed to Atem. He turned to Yugi. "And how did you ever forgive him?!"

"It was impossible for me to forgive myself," Atem said. "I still haven't. But all I could do was pull myself together and try to go on. I had to do everything possible to rescue Yugi as well as to save the entire world from the destruction the leader of the Doma organization wanted to bring about."

Yugi nodded. "And of course I was angry and hurt," he said quietly. "That's probably why the Orichalcos was able to take me; it reacted to dark feelings and could only be repelled by light and love. But I had a lot of time to think when I was trapped. I realized he never would have done it if he'd been fully in control of himself." He looked at Kalin. "And evil magic forces aren't the only way people lose control of themselves. If you were filled with bitterness and hate, that could also make you do things you'd never do in your right mind."

Kalin sighed and leaned back into the couch. This was the second time tonight that someone had tried to tell him that he had not been the only person to give in to such feelings and hurt their loved ones. Somehow it always felt different when it was someone else as opposed to him personally. Even Atem's story, as horrifying as it was, didn't seem to compare. Kalin had agreed to accept the Dark Signers' power before it had corrupted him; Atem had apparently started to become corrupted before he had accepted the Orichalcos and therefore couldn't fully be held responsible.

"If you don't mind my asking, when did you accept the evil force you encountered?" Atem broke into his thoughts.

". . . When I was in prison," Kalin said. "I thought my friend had betrayed me so I would get arrested."

"That would be awful to get arrested for something you didn't do," Yugi said in horror.

"Oh, I did it, alright," Kalin said dryly. "It was a very complex situation." But he trailed off again. How could he explain in more detail? What had happened was that he had wanted to bring down the corrupt Sector Security totalitarian police. But if he said the police department was corrupt, no one here would understand what he meant. Sector Security didn't exist yet. And if he explained more and revealed the full truth . . .

"Well, if you want to talk about it, we're here for you," Solomon spoke.

"Thanks," Kalin said, but didn't say more.

He had really been a hypocrite to try to bring down Sector Security anyway. By that point he had become as drunk on power as they were and had tried to implement the same methods of total control that they did. Yusei had seen that. So had Crow and Jack. That was why the two of them had left. But Yusei had always stood by him. How had he allowed himself to believe that Yusei would really turn against him?

Suddenly two phones dinged. Yugi quickly pulled his out. "Oh, Lector's looking for you," he said in amazement and concern to Kalin. "So are the rest of the Big Five and Mokuba!"

"He says he was talking to you and you ran off into the storm after you saw Mokuba," Atem frowned.

"I'd better let them know you're here, and safe," Yugi said. He started to type.

Kalin didn't try to stop him. He just sighed.

"What would prompt you to run after you saw Mokuba?" Atem asked. "You don't have any history with the Kaiba Corporation, do you?"

"Not in the least," Kalin grunted. "I told Lector it wasn't really about Mokuba. It's . . . complicated. I just didn't feel like he should be burdened with looking out for me. I'm not worth it."

"Well, he sure thinks you are," Yugi said. "He's really worried!"

"I . . ." Kalin looked away, his eyes flickering with confusion and guilt. "I didn't want to cause him to worry. . . . I didn't think he'd keep looking, really. . . ."

"Why wouldn't he?" Yugi frowned.

"Because adults have never cared about me before," Kalin said. "I was always on my own."

"That's awful," Yugi gasped.

The phones dinged again with an incoming message. Atem was the first to look. "Lector says you are still welcome to come to his house tonight," he said. "He and some of his friends are in a car and can come pick you up."

"Of course, you're welcome to stay here too," Solomon said, "but I'm afraid we don't have much room. We would only be able to offer you the couch."

Kalin was silent as he considered his options. Taking the couch didn't bother him; it was paradise compared to many of the places he had slept. Staying either place could result in these people learning of the bleak future of Domino City, and he still didn't know whether it was right or wrong to tell them. But, incredibly, none of them would be willing to let him go out in the snowstorm on his own. He would have to choose one place or the other. Maybe in Lector's mansion, he would have a room to himself and be less likely to possibly reveal anything in his sleep where he'd be overheard. He had been having nightmares ever since his revival.

"Thank you," he said to Solomon. "I don't like to impose on you any further. I'll accept Lector's offer."

Atem nodded and quickly texted that information to Lector. "They'll be by for you in a few minutes," he said.

"Maybe we can duel tomorrow," Yugi said. "If you still want to, I mean."

"Maybe," Kalin agreed. He would definitely want to . . . if it wasn't for that problem of most, if not all, of his cards being from another place and time.

"And just think about what we've said," Yugi encouraged. "I'm sure your friend would like to see you again, no matter what happened between you."

Atem nodded. "You are clearly sorry for what you did."

"Yes, but saying that won't take away all the pain I inflicted." Kalin stood when he heard the sound of a car downstairs. "Thanks for the hot chocolate."

The limousine parked at the front door was certainly something new for Kalin. He had never ridden in anything like it before. One of the doors opened and Lector stepped out, his eyes filled with relief. "Hello again, Mr. Kessler," he greeted.

"Hello," Kalin said. "I'm sorry I put you to so much trouble." He walked over and climbed inside.

A brunet sitting across from where Lector had been grunted. "You wouldn't have had to if you hadn't run off like that."

Kalin averted his gaze. "I thought it was best."

"Yeah, but I still don't get that," Mokuba exclaimed. "Why?! It must've had something to do with me!"

Before Kalin could reply, Yugi and Atem appeared at the door of the game shop. "Hi, guys," Yugi said with a smile. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," Lector nodded. "Thank you, Yugi. We'll take it from here."

"Be careful driving in this storm," Atem said.

"We have a good driver," Lector assured him. He climbed back into the limousine and pulled the door shut.

"So, are you gonna give us an explanation?" a broad, stocky man with a mustache spoke up, looking to Kalin. "We've been all over the city looking for you!"

"I still think it's better if you don't know much about me," Kalin said.

"Better for who?" The brunet was scrutinizing him now.

The tension was thick in the air. Lector quickly came to the rescue to diffuse it. "Mr. Kessler, this is Robert Nesbitt," he said. "Over there is Adrian Randolph Crump III." He indicated the stocky man. "And these two are Thomas Johnson and our leader, Charles Gansley."

A thin man with glasses and a heavyset elderly man both nodded to Kalin.

"All of you came out?" Kalin said in disbelief.

"Lector was worried about you," Johnson replied. "That was good enough for us."

"We need to drop Mokuba off at home on our way back," Lector said. "I hope that's alright with you."

"That's . . . fine," Kalin said slowly.

Mokuba frowned. "You don't have to be worried to meet Seto," he said. "Not unless he has some reason to be mad at you."

"He's never even met me," Kalin said. _Or hardly anyone else._ Seto didn't duel anymore where Kalin was from, and he barely came out anywhere at all. KaibaCorp still had a large presence in New Domino City, but Seto himself was a recluse.

"You're a very mysterious person, Mr. Kessler," Johnson remarked. "Lector has taken a liking to you and we trust his judgment, but still, I would like to have more knowledge of who you are when you're going to be staying with us for the night."

"I can't say much more than I already have," Kalin insisted.

"That almost makes it sound like you're some kinda secret agent," Crump chortled.

Kalin looked away. "I'm just a wandering soul in search of a way to atone for my crimes." He paused. "What have all of you done to make good?"

"We have apologized and we try to sincerely live our lives in the right way," Lector said. "We help Yugi and the others whenever we can, and others too."

"I know Nesbitt has been very protective of one of his former victims," Kalin said.

Nesbitt stiffened. "Where would you have heard that?! It's not even public knowledge what happened!"

Kalin stiffened too. But before he could try to think of a save, they pulled up at the Kaiba Manor. Lector started to undo his seatbelt to walk Mokuba up the walkway to the door, but the gates opened and Seto was standing there.

Mokuba hurried to unbuckle his seatbelt. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lector," he said. "Bye, everyone! Bye, Mr. Kessler." He gave Kalin a searching frown before getting out of the limousine and hurrying over to his brother. "Hey, Seto!"

Seto looked down at the kid, his expression mostly unreadable until his eyes flickered slightly. "Did that nonsense with the stranger get sorted out?"

"Yeah, he was found okay," Mokuba said. "He's in the car with Lector and the others."

Lector nodded to Seto. "Mr. Kaiba."

Seto nodded back and turned away. "Let's go inside, Mokuba."

Mokuba waved to Lector and the other occupants before scurrying after Seto. "Wait up, big brother!"

Seto slowed, waiting for Mokuba to catch up. Then they walked together to the porch and inside. The light overhead caught a faint smile on Seto's features as they disappeared into the entryway.

It was Gansley who noticed how Kalin was staring after the brothers. "You're most certainly occupied."

Kalin just kept staring. Seto was close to his age in this time, and happy. It was so strange to see him like this. . . .

"You star-struck or somethin'?" Crump leaned forward, peering at him.

Kalin jumped. "No," he retorted. "Just thinking."

"Well, you sure act like you've got some kinda past with the Kaiba brothers," Crump said. "You really don't?"

"I don't," Kalin said firmly.

He stayed silent on the drive to Lector's house. The Big Five, not quite sure of what to say to each other when he was there, stayed quiet for the most part as well. It wasn't a long drive and the limousine was soon rolling up the driveway and stopping near the garage. Everyone started to get out.

Kalin looked at the group in some surprise. "I hope you're not all being inconvenienced because of me," he said. "I won't do anything to hurt Lector."

"Huh? Oh, nah, we were all comin' here anyway," Crump said. "We all live together and just rotate whose house we're at each day. We're not hangin' out here to protect Lector from you or anything like that."

"Really." Kalin quirked an eyebrow.

Lector nodded. "That's right. They were all here earlier, when I was taking the walk and found you. I called Nesbitt here at the house."

". . . Well, just as long as I'm not causing any inconvenience," Kalin said. _So, they started doing that this far back._

"You're not," Lector promised.

They all headed inside and Lector summoned his maid. "We're having a guest stay over tonight," he told her. "Please prepare a room upstairs."

The girl bowed and nodded. "Of course, Sir."

Kalin followed the Big Five up the stairs, staring at the spacious rooms and large, hanging chandeliers. He had been filled with anger so many times at how the rich had so much while the poor had so little. There was still a divide even in this Domino City, but not as great a one. If they prevented the reactor explosion, so much would be different in positive ways. If not for the worry of possibly causing his friends' personalities and relationships to change, it would be a much easier decision to make.

Really, if he was thinking of the greater good, it would be a no-brainer, wouldn't it? . . . But on the other hand, if Yusei and the others changed . . . maybe they wouldn't even be worthy Signers. Things like the Dark Signers would still be out there and still attack. If there weren't Signers to combat that evil, the entire world might fall.

"Mr. Kessler?!"

"Hey, are you okay?!"

He started back to the present. He had stopped walking and now was gripping his forehead, trembling as he stared off at nothing, lost in his troubled thoughts. He straightened, drawing a shaking breath. "Yes."

Crump didn't look convinced. "You look about the farthest thing from okay."

Something flickered in Nesbitt's eyes. From what he knew about Kalin, he thought he understood. Judging by Lector's expression, he felt similarly.

"Here, Sir," came the maid's voice from up the hall.

Lector perked up. "Thank you, Helena. Here's your room, Mr. Kessler." He walked over to the room Helena was standing in front of.

Kalin came over as well. The room was enormous, bigger than some of the small homes in Satellite. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought he would have a chance to stay somewhere like this. "Thank you," he said. He slowly went inside.

"We're just up the hall," Lector said. "Please let us know if you need anything."

"I will," Kalin said as he shut the door.

For a moment he just stood and stared at the room. This was pure luxury, from the thick purple carpet to the expensive purple comforter quilts. (Apparently Lector's favorite color was purple.) This was the sort of thing he had wanted all Satellites to be able to enjoy . . . before he had completely lost his way and had only cared about hatred and revenge.

He ran his hand over the finished wood of the dresser. How had he had that happen to himself? He had been starving to death in The Facility, beaten and alone and left without his most prized possession—his deck—but to give in to hate, to abandon everything he had fought for and let the evil of the Dark Signers take him . . . there could be no forgiveness. He clenched a fist and turned away.

He was just slipping out of his coat and setting it on a chair when he heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he found Nesbitt standing there with a strange mixture of understanding and lingering suspicion written across his face.

"I know what it's like to feel like the scum of the earth," he said abruptly. "I've struggled with that for years and I completely sympathize. But I still want to know how you know about my looking after Serenity Wheeler. It's not public knowledge. No one even knows we have an unpleasant past together." He leaned on the doorframe with one arm, his thick eyebrows knitting as he glared searchingly at Kalin.

Kalin held the gaze for a long moment before turning away. _A lot of things came out after the reactor explosion. And you became like a father to her after her mother was lost._

"I can't tell you," he said at last.

Nesbitt snarled. "Look, you . . . !" He grabbed a handful of Kalin's shirt and pulled the boy towards him. "There's something very strange about you. Maybe Lector's willing to overlook it for now because he's so worried about your mental state, but I'm not so willing. There's something you're holding back from us. No, a lot of somethings. And I don't know whether you're dangerous to us or not, no matter what you say!" His voice lowered. "And I won't tolerate any danger to the others. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly," Kalin replied.

"And if you stick around past tonight, I'm going to keep demanding answers," Nesbitt continued. "I'll be well within my rights."

"Yes, you will," Kalin said. "But don't worry. I'll be gone by morning." The storm would be over and he could quietly disappear back through the portal to his own Domino City. . . . If he decided that was indeed the best thing to do.

Nesbitt stepped back, giving him another searching look. Then he turned, heading back up the hall. "Goodnight."

Kalin shut the door. "Goodnight."


	3. Chapter 3

Lector was in his room, slowly undoing his tie and setting his suitcoat aside, when a knock came at his door. He walked over, half-expecting what he would find. "Hello, Nesbitt," he greeted his friend.

Nesbitt grunted and walked in without waiting for an invitation. "I don't know what to make of this Kalin kid," he said. "I know you had to notice that he's been saying and doing some absolutely bizarre things."

Lector sighed. "Yes, I've noticed. I wonder what the explanation is myself."

"And yet you don't find it suspicious enough to pursue it," Nesbitt scowled.

"Did you have any luck when you did?" Lector countered.

Nesbitt's eyes flickered in his surprise. "You knew?"

Lector smiled. "Let's just say I knew it wouldn't be like you not to try to get him to talk after the things he said and did."

Nesbitt still looked frustrated. "Well, you're right that I didn't have any luck. He knows he's being frustrating, but he won't explain himself!"

"I really didn't think he would," Lector said.

"And that's why you didn't question him?" Nesbitt frowned. As Gozaburo Kaiba's right-hand man, Lector had learned to study people a great deal—completely the opposite of the unsociable, reserved Nesbitt. Lector was good at knowing what people would do or why they were doing it.

"Most of the reason," Lector said. "I'm hoping that maybe if I give him some space, he'll decide on his own to talk."

"I didn't think of that," Nesbitt admitted. "But honestly, I don't think he will."

Lector sighed and nodded. "Actually, I'm afraid you're right. Whatever horrors he's seen, he's not ready to talk about them. I highly doubt he will decide to open up to a near-stranger."

"I wonder just how much of a near-stranger you or any of us are to him," Nesbitt growled. "He definitely knows a lot more than he's saying. But how is that possible?! Where is he getting his information, and why is he so bent on not letting us in on the secret?!"

"I most certainly wish I knew," Lector sighed.

"Apparently he thinks it's better for us if we don't know," Nesbitt said. "But why? Why would it hurt us to know?!" He dug his hands into his hair.

"Maybe someone else might try to hurt us if we knew?" Lector suggested. "Maybe whoever he gets his information from would think we also know something shady about them and try to silence us?"

Nesbitt started to pace. "That doesn't make sense, though!"

Lector shook his head. "Nesbitt, you are going to make me dizzy." He sighed. "Maybe I should ask Mr. Kessler if he's running from someone."

"I should have pointed out that I didn't find his name in any database I tried," Nesbitt realized.

"That would be a good thing to let him know," Lector acknowledged. "He must be using an assumed name. Maybe it's just to stay hidden from the people he hurt, but we should find out for certain."

Nesbitt stopped pacing. "At least I convinced you that we shouldn't just stand by and wait for him to make the next move."

"I don't really get the feeling he's running from anyone," Lector said. "I don't sense fear from him. But yes, you're right that we need to make sure."

Nesbitt perked up. "Should we go now?"

Lector sighed. "I think we should let him rest a while first, at least."

That brought another scowl. "Why are you so protective of this kid? It's not usual for you to latch on to someone we hardly know!"

"Yes, but in this case he reminds me of you," Lector said.

Nesbitt flushed a bit and looked away. ". . . Okay then. We'll give him some time to rest. But he'd better not end up slipping away before we get the chance to talk to him."

"Hopefully not," Lector agreed.

****

_They were Turbo Dueling through the mark of the Giant that was sealing them in. He was winning; it wouldn't take much more and Yusei would be lost to the Shadows. It thrilled him, filled him with horrific glee to see Yusei winding down. There was nothing more Yusei could do and he knew it._

_Insane laughter echoed throughout the enclosed space. "Let's have fun tearing each other to shreds!"_

_He moved to deliver the final blow._

Kalin screamed, falling out of bed with a loud crash. For a long moment he just knelt where he was, breathing heavily, trying to take in reality and leave the horror behind.

If only it really was just a nightmare, a figment that had never happened. But it _had_ happened, and that was the worst thing about it.

"I did that," he whispered. "I _did_ that. . . ."

And there was no forgiveness, no redemption, for crimes such as that. He could never forget it.

He grabbed the edge of the bed and shakily pulled himself up. Had he awakened anyone? Everything sounded so quiet in the hall, but how could he have not been heard? Were the walls really that thick? He definitely would have woke up everyone in Satellite for blocks.

He slowly moved to the door and quietly eased it open. No one was stirring, incredibly. He stepped into the hallway for a better look. Maybe he should just get his coat and leave now, before anyone could notice. . . .

He jumped at the sight of a couch positioned in front of the upstairs railing. A large plant had hidden it from his view at his room. Both Lector and Nesbitt were on it, sleeping against each other. Lector had an arm around Nesbitt, holding him close.

What were they doing out here? Had they been waiting for him, to see if he would try to get away? Nesbitt had no doubt gone to Lector with his concerns and suspicions. Either that or Lector had figured it out and talked to Nesbitt about it.

Kalin sighed and slumped back. Maybe he could still slip out past them. Or maybe he should just go on back to bed. They looked peaceful and deeply asleep, but maybe they would wake up if he tried to go past.

A certain wistfulness flickered in his eyes as he half-turned to go back up the hall. Those two. . . . They had started out not getting along at all, and had become so close. In his time, they were still like that. Maybe even moreso by then; they were pretty much inseparable.

He and Yusei's friendship had ended up the exact opposite. They had started out close and then everything had fallen apart. What he wouldn't give to have what Lector and Nesbitt had! But he never could now, and he could never forget that. He had ruined everything and he wasn't worthy of ever having such a gift back after throwing it away.

"Mr. Kessler?"

He started. Lector was rousing up and looking to him, sleepily blinking as he adjusted his position. At his side, Nesbitt stirred as well.

". . . I'm sorry," Kalin said. "I didn't mean to wake either of you. I was just going back to bed."

"What were you doing in the hall anyway?" Nesbitt grunted. "It's early to be leaving."

Kalin looked away. "It's probably still snowing right now." He wasn't about to admit that he had come out to try to make sure he hadn't awakened anyone with his nightmare.

Nesbitt sat up straight, running a hand into his hair. ". . . You know, I couldn't find any information about you anywhere, even in the government databases," he blurted. "Why?"

"You think I would know?" Kalin replied, mostly addressing the wall.

"Yeah, I do," Nesbitt said, "just like you know about all these other things you really shouldn't be able to know."

Lector sighed. "Mr. Kessler . . . are you trying to hide from someone?"

Kalin spun around. "What?!"

"You must have given us a false name," Lector explained. "Is it because someone is after you?"

A faint smirk played on the edges of Kalin's mouth. He leaned against the wall with a resigned sigh. "I didn't give you a fake name," he insisted. "And no, no one is after me." _No one other than the ghost of my former self._

"Then what's going on?!" Nesbitt burst out in frustration.

"You didn't have to take me in, you know," Kalin pointed out. "I would have stayed out in the storm. I promised no danger will come to any of you because of me, and I meant it. You're safe. Can't that be good enough?"

"No," Nesbitt flatly replied. "When you say such outlandish things and won't explain yourself, how can we trust anything else you say?"

Kalin hesitated. "If you really want to know, think about it," he said. "How could I know these things?"

"We've been trying to think about it, Mr. Kessler," Lector said. "We've presented you with what we've come up with."

Kalin sighed. "When the storm is over, I'll leave," he said. "Then you won't have to worry anymore."

Lector got up from the couch. "But where will you go?"

"I don't know," Kalin admitted. "Far from here, probably. I need to get away from the memories."

"And from your friend?" Nesbitt pointedly asked.

"Him too," Kalin agreed. "Especially him. I want him to be happy. He won't be if I'm around."

"I used to think things like that," Nesbitt said as he got up too. "It wasn't true. It was hard to comprehend . . . in fact, it's still hard to comprehend . . . but my friends didn't and don't see me the way I've seen me. When I could only see the bad, they saw the good. They saw something worth fighting for . . . so I've been trying hard to not hate myself and to see myself at least somewhat the way they see me."

Kalin looked to him, and his eyes appeared so dead that Nesbitt actually took a step back, shaken by the sight. "The thing is, with me there is no good," he said. "I guess that's somewhat what I'm hoping to prove wrong, that there is something worth saving about myself. But right now, I've seen no such indication of that."

Lector's heart twisted. This was indeed like trying to talk to Nesbitt during some of his worst moments. "For you to feel so badly about what you did, that right there shows goodness," he insisted. "To feel true sorrow is the first step on the road to repentance."

"Maybe so, but there's nothing I can do to go on from there," Kalin said. "I can't take away what I did. I can't make restitution. The only thing I know to do for them at all is to stay away from them."

"That was exactly how I felt and what I did," Nesbitt gruffly admitted. "I thought I was doing them a kindness. But some of them thought I just wasn't sorry at all and the others felt badly that I felt that way. They were happier when I reached out to them."

Kalin paused. Yusei would probably be like that. He had never stopped reaching out to Kalin, and when Kalin had died in his arms, he had screamed. Yusei knew Kalin had been revived, but that he hadn't stuck around to say anything to him. Yusei probably understood why Kalin had left, and maybe he wasn't happy about it at all. But . . . how could Kalin go back to him?

"Thanks for trying to help," he said at last. "For now I'm going to go back to bed."

Lector sighed. "Then we'll see you in the morning, Mr. Kessler."

 _Maybe,_ Kalin thought to himself.

****

Kalin never did manage to get back to sleep. For a long time he sat in the windowseat and watched the snowfall while his thoughts wandered. Life in the Satellite had been hard and cruel, but occasionally there had been nice times. Christmas had always been a big event, with Satellites celebrating as best as they knew how. Some remembered how life had been before Zero Reverse, when Domino City had been as it was now. They had tried to bring that to the kids.

Even though travel between New Domino City and Satellite had been forbidden until recently, some people had still defied the law and found ways to cross between the areas anyway. Many in New Domino City enjoyed the Satellite marketplace, where they could find good items for cheap prices. Others had come to try to make life in Satellite a little more bearable for those who lived there, donating to or running charity drives or trying to help people they already knew who were stranded there. Some had even smuggled Satellites into New Domino City when they could.

Joey Wheeler and his sister Serenity had been among the Good Samaritans. Some of the Big Five had tried to help as well. Maybe all of them had; Gansley had never made the trip that Kalin knew of, but Lector and Nesbitt had been around. Sometimes they had brought Joey and Serenity and Serenity's husband Duke Devlin. It had always been a risk, even for those with good money, but the kind-hearted citizens had felt it worth the danger. Yusei had appreciated all that they did, but Kalin had felt it wasn't enough. Now he could see that they had done all that they possibly could. They had also lobbied for change in New Domino City, even though the politicians had been unmoved. All of them had risked their lives and their freedoms in so many ways, just to try to make things better for Satellite. They hadn't needed to do any of that, and most in New Domino City didn't. People connected with Yugi Muto had always been different.

How strange to think that now the two halves of the city were united once again. Kalin would really like to see that, to be there to watch Satellite prosper once more. It had been his dream long ago. But now he was the Prodigal Son, and unlike that Biblical character, he could not go home.

He started back to the present at the realization that the snow had stopped. It was still late, or early, depending on one's definition, but he should really get going. He had wreaked enough chaos in these people's lives. They would probably be questioning who he was and how he knew things for ages to come. And they would never find him, as he would quietly slip through the portal back to his time and not be heard of for decades. Maybe when they caught up with his time, they would remember him and realize the truth.

He walked across the room and gathered his coat, quietly slipping into it before opening the door and again stepping into the hallway. No one was there now, including on the couch. Hopefully they were all asleep.

He managed to get downstairs without incident. It didn't take long to undo the locks on the door and step onto the porch. He locked the door behind him before heading down the stairs and the long driveway.

He frowned a bit at his footsteps in the snow. Maybe they would be able to track him for a while through those. On the other hand, that would only last until he walked where other people had been walking. Then they wouldn't be able to pick out his footprints from others'. He didn't have anything to sweep them away with, so that logic would have to do.

He cast a last look back at the mansion when he reached the end of the driveway and was about to climb over the wall. It had been quite a change of pace to see how the rich lived, even if only for a few hours. He wasn't likely to ever get another such chance. But he had to think about others for once, instead of only thinking of himself. It was better for everyone if he left.

Wasn't it?

He frowned, his hands still on the wall as he paused. Actually, if he was honest with himself, he still didn't know what the right thing was. No one really wanted to know their future, did they? Especially such a grim future.

But if they knew, maybe they could change it.

Was it right to change it?

It was a hopeless cycle. He could not figure out the answer. He could not arrogantly proclaim that he knew and that he was doing a good and noble thing for mankind, or even for his friends.

"You're leaving already?"

He jumped a mile. Nesbitt stepped out of the shadows, silent despite the snow on the ground. A worried Lector opened the door and stepped onto the porch.

"How did you get here without me noticing?" Kalin exclaimed.

"I'm a fifth Dan rank in kendo," Nesbitt replied. "I know how to be a shadow."

That seemed strange coming from the most impulsive and reckless member of the Big Five. But this was definitely the proof of Nesbitt's words. Maybe Nesbitt was the reason why he and his friends had gone undetected by Sector Security during all of their trips to the Satellite.

"I think we figured it out, Mr. Kessler," Lector said. He came down the stairs, pulling his robe close around him. "You're from the future. It's the only explanation that makes perfect sense."

Kalin pushed away from the wall. "It sounds like science-fiction."

"We might have thought that once," Lector admitted. "But every now and then, portals from other places open up around town."

Nesbitt nodded and folded his arms. "And I'll bet that if we look hard enough, we'll find an open portal right now. Won't we?"

Finally Kalin sighed and turned to face them. What was the use in continuing to deny it? "Yes," he conceded. "You're right; there is a portal and I came through it from the future. I didn't know what was happening until I'd passed through. I should have immediately gone back, but my curiosity got the best of me. I also should have been more careful about what I said and did. I wasn't prepared to come here and I didn't know how to react."

"And everything strange you said and did is because of this future you're from?" Nesbitt frowned.

"Including your reaction to Mokuba?" Lector's expression turned pleading. "Mr. Kessler, why? What's happened in your future? Are all of us . . . not alright?"

Kalin clenched a fist. "I don't know what the right thing is to do," he said. "I just came from hurting everyone I used to care about. I don't want to do anything more to them! And I don't know whether or not you should know your future. You might be able to change it, but . . . is that truly the right thing to do? In my time, my friends are some of the protectors of the world. They were shaped by the lives they led up to that point. To change the future, they might not even come out the same. They might not even be the people I know! They might not be worthy protectors any longer."

Lector and Nesbitt exchanged a look.

"I must confess that I'm not sure what the right thing to do is either," Lector said, "and yet I feel I have to know! If the situation were reversed, Mr. Kessler, would you be able to resist knowing the fate of your loved ones?"

Kalin exhaled, loudly. "No, I don't think I could." Finally he walked towards them. "But let's not talk out here."

"No, let's not," Lector agreed. "The others should hear this as well."

"And Yugi and the rest will be interested too," Nesbitt pointed out.

"I guess you'll tell them later even if I don't talk to them now," Kalin said.

"I believe that since this concerns all of us, and everyone you know, Sir, we should all be there," Lector said. "I don't want to wait until you go back to tell them. We need to decide together what to do."

Kalin's eyes flickered. Lector was trying to be very fair. That surprised him somewhat, and yet perhaps it shouldn't. Lector had always been the most justice-driven of the Big Five.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"I will start calling everyone," Lector said. "It's early, but they will want to know anyway, and I doubt any of us will be getting any more sleep tonight."

"I know I won't," Nesbitt grunted.

The three of them walked back to the house and inside. Kalin watched as Lector shut and locked the door. ". . . I will say that all five of you are still alive," he said.

"That's good to know," Nesbitt said.

Lector paused in mid-dial. "You acted like you'd only heard of us and never met us," he said in surprise.

"That's true," Kalin said. "But you're still in the news. You're all pretty much the same as you are now, very close-knit and protective of each other and your other loved ones."

"Like Serenity," Nesbitt prompted.

"Yes," Kalin said. "But I'll wait to say more until everyone's here."

"You'd better not try to run again," Nesbitt growled.

"I won't," Kalin promised.

A door at the top of the stairs opened and Crump emerged, yawning and rubbing at his eyes. "What's goin' on?" he mumbled. "It's too early to be up."

"Yeah, well, our guest was trying to leave," Nesbitt informed him, "and we finally found out why. He's from the future and wasn't sure he should tell us."

 _"WHAAAT?!"_ Crump yelled.

That brought Gansley's and Johnson's doors open as well.

"What on Earth, Crump," Gansley grumped.

"He has legitimate concerns," Lector said. "But he's agreed to tell us everything when we bring everyone together."

Johnson quirked an eyebrow. "Well, I will most certainly be on pins and needles until then," he intoned.

"Won't we all," Nesbitt muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to MoonlightTyger and Azalea542 for plot help!

Everyone was stunned to receive the phone calls about the unusual visitor, but Lector was right that they all wanted to hear what he had to say. Over the next couple of hours they all trickled in until the living room was full.

Kalin sat with Lector and Nesbitt, studying the large group in mounting amazement and a bit of awe. Some of these people were gone in his time. The ones who were around looked older then. They were so young now, many of them close to Kalin's age. It was so surreal to be sitting here, surrounded by all of them. Some were legends in the future. No matter how badly he felt about himself, it still felt special. He wouldn't have appreciated it in the past, but he could now.

He was still conflicted about what he should do, though. He had given in and admitted the truth when Lector and Nesbitt had guessed correctly—he hadn't really expected anyone would. But should he keep on with that? Should he really tell everything he knew? If he knew what the right thing was to do, he would do it and not be shaken from it. When he wasn't sure, he could and did bend.

"So who is this guy anyway?" Joey frowned, his eyes flickering in suspicion.

"His name is Kalin Kessler," Nesbitt said.

Lector nodded. "I found him out in the storm last night."

"So, you're from the future," Atem said in intrigued amazement. "I should have guessed."

"I was trying hard not to advertise it," Kalin said. "I just wasn't very good at it."

"Eh, I'm still not sure I believe it," Joey said with a frown. "How do we know it's not just some big snow job?"

"Maybe the fact that he knows things about us that aren't public and hasn't wanted to say how," Nesbitt grunted. "He has to get his insider information from somewhere. In the future, things must be different and our secrets are known."

Yami Bakura folded his arms and still looked skeptical. "There's also the fact that any time portals have opened up, they've been to other dimensions," he pointed out. "How do we know this person is from our future as opposed to some other dimension's future?"

Kalin perked up. He hadn't even considered something like that. It had been hard enough to swallow that he had come to another time, but another dimension too? That would certainly relieve some of the burden on his heart. If he didn't have to fear changing his friends' personalities by telling these people of his future, maybe things would work out for the best among all of them.

Lector also perked up. He had been so shaken that he hadn't thought about that either, but the suggestion gave him hope. He still feared the truth because of Kalin's strange reaction to Mokuba.

"I would suppose that if something is said about our past adventures that isn't true for us, we would know Kalin's world is not ours," Atem said.

"I don't even know that I know a lot about your pasts," Kalin objected. "I know things that are public in my time, such as about the virtual reality misadventures and the fight against Zorc. Mostly I know what you're up to in my time." He frowned and looked away. "And if I tell all about my future, and you're able to change it by knowing, I don't know how it might negatively change my friends since that would change how they grow up."

"I would say this," Gansley spoke. "Tell everything you know about us. Perhaps something you say will help us determine whether you're from our world or not. Then we'll go from there."

Nesbitt suddenly thrust his hand in front of Kalin's face. "Do we have rings like this where you're from?" he demanded.

Kalin studied the citrine ring on Nesbitt's finger. "Yes," he said slowly. "You're protectors of the world, but mainly for things relating to ancient Egypt or Atlantis. My friends deal with threats born of South American origin. Their powers come from there as well."

"Well, that's unique," Crump blinked. "I'd like to hear more about that. I study cultures of the world."

"Maybe later," Kalin said.

Bakura bit his lip. "Is Yami also a protector of the world?" he asked.

Yami Bakura grunted and petted their tuxedo cat Oreo as she purred in bliss.

Kalin looked to them and hesitated. "You are," he said slowly to Yami Bakura. "Or you were. . . ."

"Were?!" Bakura exclaimed.

Yami Bakura's eyes narrowed. He didn't like the sound of that either. "If people are dead, you need to tell us," he said. "You've come this far. Don't stop now."

Kalin sighed in resignation. "The city started being powered by a very unique reactor that drew on the positive energy generated by dueling," he explained. "The first version of it was faulty and exploded. Some people were lost in the blast, including both of you, Yugi Muto, and Mokuba Kaiba."

Gasps went up all around. Oreo yowled.

Seto looked sick. As Mokuba turned to look up at him, he pulled his brother close. He wasn't prone to showing affection with others watching, but now he didn't care anymore. Mokuba clutched him close.

"Seto Kaiba never recovered," Kalin said. "He quit Dueling and became a recluse in his mansion. Others seized control of the city and turned it into a totalitarian establishment. Kaiba didn't even care anymore."

"Doesn't he even still run KaibaCorp?!" Mokuba cried.

"He's mostly a figurehead now," Kalin said. "To lose you made him give up on life."

Mokuba looked down, tears pricking his eyes. "No. . . ."

Seto gripped Mokuba's shoulder. Even if that was them in another dimension, he could see himself feeling similarly if the same thing happened here. To lose Mokuba would be to lose the most precious thing in his life.

"What about Téa?!" Yugi exclaimed. "Kaiba cares a lot about her too! I'm sure she'd try to get through to him!"

". . . She tried," Kalin admitted. "Their marriage couldn't withstand what happened. She left Domino City in grief and despair and moved to New York City."

"I won't believe this is our future!" Téa burst out. "Maybe we can prevent it, or maybe it will never start happening here at all! We don't use a reactor."

"Seto Kaiba funded the research," Kalin said. "He never forgave himself."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "You can bet I won't fund any such research," he growled. "The idea sounds ludicrous anyway. Turning energy from dueling into the power to run a reactor?! It's no wonder the thing blew up!"

"Although if it's supposed to happen, someone else will fund the research when the time comes," Solomon pointed out.

"I still don't believe destiny is the answer to everything," Seto growled. "And if someone else funds it, I'll just make sure none of us are around when the time comes."

Yugi was reeling. But, suddenly realizing something else, he shook himself out of his shock and horror. "Hey, you didn't know about Atem," he said to Kalin. "Does that mean Atem isn't around in your world? That would indicate right there that it's another dimension!"

"I've never heard of Atem before," Kalin admitted.

"That doesn't necessarily mean it's another dimension," Gansley pointed out, although he also wanted to believe that.

"Perhaps not, but it seems like a good indication that it might be," Solomon said. "Maybe he never came back in that world."

"Came back?" Kalin blinked. "From Egypt?"

"Not quite," Yugi said with an awkward smile. "It's a long story."

Lector was silent, badly shaken by these revelations. He also looked to Mokuba. To think of a future where something this horrible happened and some were lost forever while others never recovered . . . ! It was unbearable. The only comfort was in thinking at least it wasn't their dimension, but even then, it was still devastating to think of it happening to any Mokuba. And Yugi and the Bakuras too. . . .

Mokuba met his gaze and came to him now, letting the man pull him close in a hug. Mokuba snuggled close. "I don't want such an awful future," he choked out.

"We won't have it," Lector insisted.

Kalin clenched a fist. "But . . . if it changes . . ."

"If it's another dimension, what we do in ours won't affect yours," Yami Bakura said. "And if it's supposed to happen, it will no matter what we do to try to change it."

"But maybe at least we'll have a chance of escaping our personal fates," Lector said. "Thank you, Mr. Kessler, for finally telling us."

"There was a time when I never would have," Kalin said. "I guess right now, when I don't know what the right thing is to do, I was easier to bend."

"Hey," Téa realized, "what if your world is that one we've visited before?! Portals have opened up from it more than once!"

"Oh no!" Yugi exclaimed. But then, just as quickly, he relaxed. "No, it couldn't be that one," he realized. "The virtual reality problems didn't happen there."

"Unless that came later in that world," Yami Bakura grunted. "In another dimension, things could either not happen at all or happen differently."

"But those other uses were starting to make friends with Yugi and everybody last we knew," Crump objected. "The other uses wouldn't suddenly turn on them!"

"No, I don't think they would either," Atem said.

Tristan growled. "Well, supposing any of this is true, it probably is our dimension!" he said bitterly. "It sounds about like what would happen to us. We're always thinking our problems are over only to find they're not!" He glared at Kalin. "But I'm not sure I really believe anything this guy says anyway. I mean, when does the supernatural stuff stop?! That can't always be the explanation for everything that goes wrong!"

Nesbitt grunted. "There was a time I felt like that," he said. "I guess by now it feels like magic and the supernatural is always going to be intruding on our lives and it always is the explanation for everything." Disgust dripped from his voice. "That said, Lector and I tried to think of other explanations ahead of that."

"And then he just said you were right when you guessed time travel?" Tristan snorted. "Maybe you should have him take you to this portal and look through it to make sure it's real."

Kalin stood. "I should really go back anyway," he said. "All I've done is cause more of an upheaval. Apparently that's all I know how to do."

Lector got up as well. "Now, that's not true," he insisted. "We needed to know the information you brought. Right now we don't know whose dimension is at stake, but we are now forewarned and can prepare." His expression softened. "And we will do everything we can to make sure your friends are not negatively impacted."

Ishizu nodded. "I believe in destiny and that you were brought here for a reason, Mr. Kessler," she said. "If that is true, then telling us about this was truly the right thing to do."

"I want to believe that," Kalin admitted.

"And truthfully, I do think you must be from another dimension," Atem said. "There would be some mention of me if it were ours, especially when you know of Yami Bakura. Apparently he still came back in your world, but I did not."

"Came back from where?" Kalin frowned. "The story was that he was Bakura's Egyptian cousin."

Yami Bakura finally smirked. "Try Many-Great-Grandfather instead," he said. "The Pharaoh and I are both from ancient Egypt."

Kalin stared. "Ancient . . . Egypt. . . ." He should be more shocked, he supposed, but maybe in some strange way it made sense.

"And the Pharaoh was really the one who earned the King of Games title," Yami Bakura continued, enjoying himself now. "Although little Yugi came into his own and earned it as well."

Oreo purred and nuzzled him and he scowled. ". . . Cat."

Bakura chuckled. "You know you appreciate it, Yami."

Kalin watched and shook his head. They both loved that cat. She had been there on that horrible day too and had been lost with them. . . .

Mokuba was now sitting by Marik, and he suddenly looked up with wide eyes. "I just thought of something!" he exclaimed. "When most of the alternate Big Five were lost in that other dimension we went to, we found out they were still alive and they'd been sent somewhere else instead of being vaporized! What if that could be true for everyone lost in Kalin's dimension, or at least some of them?!"

Kalin's eyes flickered with surprise, but he didn't look hopeful. "The lost souls who perished when the reactor exploded are still in the area," he said. "There's a gateway to the Underworld there. I sensed the spirits when I was using that dark force, and my friend was almost dragged into the Underworld with them."

"WHAT?!" Joey screamed in horror.

"It's okay, Joey," Serenity tried to soothe him. She looked to Kalin. "That doesn't mean everyone died! Maybe some people really did fall into a dimensional rift! When the reactor was kind of supernatural anyway, the explosion could have opened a hole in space."

"It's a long shot," Nesbitt frowned. "There isn't always an explanation that allows for people to come back from the supposed dead."

"But sometimes there is!" Serenity insisted. "When we've personally seen it happen, how can we just ignore it when it might be happening this time too?!"

Atem smiled a bit. "It's difficult to argue with that logic," he commented.

Johnson looked to Serenity. "Are you saying you think all of us should go over to this boy's dimension and see if there's any way to bring back those of us who went missing?"

"I think it's something we need to try," Serenity insisted.

"And I agree with her."

Everyone looked up with a start. It was Seto who had spoken, much to everyone's shock. He was normally the last person who would want to plunge into a mysterious disaster, but now his eyes were flashing with determination and resolve.

"When Mokuba was one of those lost, I can't let it stand, even if it's another Mokuba," Seto said. "I have to know if there's a way to save him."

"But not all of us should go over," Yami Bakura pointed out. "Only some should go. We have no idea what might happen over there."

Immediately most of the group began talking at once, volunteering themselves or go or suggesting ones to stay back. Kalin stared at the group in amazement and disbelief. "You're all so willing to plunge into the unknown when it might not even work out," he said.

"What? Aren't we like that in your world?" Joey countered.

"Those of you I know of are, yes," Kalin said. "It's just like my friend. He will never abandon someone in need or someone he cares about."

Lector gave him a kind look. "Then that means he is definitely still your friend and will want to see you," he said.

Kalin looked away. "That isn't the issue, though." He paused. "And I really don't know that it's a good idea for you to cross over to my time. I'm not sure what the political situation is now, but up to very recently, the politicians were covering up the truth about the reactor explosion and were saying it was an earthquake that caused the city to split. If you start poking around where you shouldn't, especially in a time you're unfamiliar with, you'll probably just bring down a lot of trouble on your heads."

"That's a good point," Gansley remarked. "When that other Big Four disappeared and their Lector was grieving so much, they weren't even to be found in their own dimension at all; they'd crossed over to here. Going over there didn't actually help the problem."

"But we'd know if there was another Mokuba and Yugi and more Bakuras running around here," Joey objected.

"There's something else you should know, as long as you know this much," Kalin said. "The explosion happened 17 years ago in my time."

Dead silence.

"They've been missing for 17 years?!" Joey cried.

"Or dead, most likely," Kalin said, "along with the other lost souls."

". . . It's still possible they ended up over here," Bakura said.

"Most likely not," Atem frowned. "If they ended up in another dimension, they would seek us all out for help."

"Except that if they ended up in our dimension 17 years ago, most of us would be babies," Téa said, "or not even born. . . ."

"The Big Five would have still been adults then," Atem said.

"Yeah, but would we even believe a wild story like that?" Nesbitt grunted.

"Maybe not, but you'd remember if someone told you such a story, wouldn't you?" Atem said with a bit of a smirk.

"I certainly would," Johnson admitted. "I don't think they fell into our dimension."

"In any case, I don't think you'll learn anything from my time," Kalin said. "If you're really going to believe this science-fiction idea that they could still be out there somewhere, you'd need to check other dimensions."

". . . Well, we do still have that candle-holder that opens portals to other dimensions," Mai said slowly. "But how would we use it to check anywhere very quickly? We'd have to keep going in and looking around everywhere until we found our counterparts in each dimension, and who knows what would happen to us while we were looking!"

"Plus the fact that this is most likely fruitless to begin with," Kalin said. "You won't find these other versions of some of you alive."

". . . You know, we could go to your world and to this place where the lost souls are and try to reach out to them," Serenity said. "We could try calling to Mokuba and Yugi and the Bakuras and see if any of them answer, or if any of the lost souls know where they are."

Joey gawked at his sister. "That's a terrible idea, Sis! If these lost souls are really so vengeful, they're not gonna want to tell us anything! And we might just get dragged down with them!"

Kalin hesitated. ". . . It is possible you could learn something if you could talk to my friend's father," he said at last. "He perished in the explosion as well, but he kept his sense of self and his sanity. He saved my friend when he fell into the pit."

"That could be our best bet," Atem said, perking up. "But I believe Bakura is right that not all of us should cross over to that world."

"I'm going," Seto said flatly.

Mokuba immediately leaped up too. "So am I! This other Seto is hurting bad and I want to help him!"

"I will go," Atem said.

"And I want to go too!" Yugi exclaimed.

Kalin just stared at them and shook his head. "I still don't know that this is a good idea. Something could happen to all of you over there."

"So you'd better come along as our guide," Joey retorted. "I'm goin' too!"

"Are at least some of you guys going?" Mokuba asked, looking to the Big Five.

Lector sighed. "I got us all into this by trying to find out what was bothering Mr. Kessler. I feel like I should go along."

"Then I'm coming," Nesbitt growled.

"And perhaps we should leave it at that," Atem interjected. "We don't want to generate too much attention by having too large a group."

"You'll probably generate attention with only one or two of you," Kalin said.

"I have to admit that's probably true," Mai said. "And honestly, a part of me is wondering if we shouldn't leave well enough alone with this. It's probably not true. If a dimensional rift opened, why didn't all the lost souls fall into it?"

"Maybe it only stayed open for a few seconds," Mokuba frowned. "I want to believe we can do something about this! When the other Seto's hurting so bad, we have to try!"

"It sure is a crazy chance," Crump said. "But . . . I'd sure take it if there were even the smallest odds that I could save any of my buddies, if it was them."

"I imagine we all feel that way, no matter how foolhardy the attempt might be," Gansley said.

"So let's get going already!" Joey exclaimed.

Everyone stood and headed for the door. Nesbitt turned to look at Kalin with a frown. "There's something else I'd like to know," he said. "You've been very secretive about your friend's name. Why?"

Kalin sighed in resignation. "Because his last name might strike a nerve." He glanced to Seto and Mokuba. "His name is Yusei Fudo."

As he had thought, Seto went stiff. "Fudo?!" His eyes narrowed. "There's an intern at KaibaCorp by that name!"

"That's probably his father," Kalin said. "He was one of your scientists, and the top researcher on the Ener-D reactor project."

Seto narrowed his eyes. "That reactor is not going to happen in this timeline," he vowed. "Never!"

And from his vehemence, Kalin again wondered if he had made the right decision.


	5. Chapter 5

No one was quite sure what to think or say on the ride to the portal. It wouldn't be their first time encountering such a phenomenon, but it was more distressing this time than any of the past times it had happened. And it didn't take long for Téa to make a determined announcement.

"I'm going too!" she declared, to no one's real surprise. "We might end up talking to the Kaiba in that world, and I want to try to help him!"

"I don't think anything will help him except getting Mokuba back," Joey frowned. He was leaning forward, his arms crossed on the top of the seat in front of him. Despite his understandable anxiety at the thought of the lost souls, right now he was grim and serious.

Duke nodded. "And we don't know yet if we're going to be able to do that."

"I'm still going," Téa insisted.

"We should probably really know more about this world before any of us end up there," Duke said. "We have no idea what we're going to walk into."

Kalin gave a heavy sigh. "The explosion split Domino City into two pieces," he said, to further gasps and cries. "The portal will come out in the ruined area, which is called Satellite. Until just recently, there was discrimination against anyone who was from Satellite. They weren't allowed to come to New Domino City or to own Duel Monsters cards." A fist was starting to unconsciously clench at his side. "They were even branded and tracked."

Mokuba gasped in horror. "That's what the mark is on your face?! I thought it was a tattoo!"

Kalin shook his head. "I got this when I was sent to The Facility, their totalitarian prison."

Marik's eyes narrowed. This was something he could understand all too sadly well, given the Ishtar family's abominable ritual through the ages. He could still feel the hot knife cutting into his back, carving each hieroglyph and pictograph.

"That is abominable," Lector proclaimed. Anger was rising in his voice. He never took kindly to injustice.

Seto snarled. "And I just sat back and let all of this happen?!"

"Maybe if you had still cared about Domino City, you could have done something about it," Kalin said. A tinge of bitterness had slipped into his voice. "You never come out anymore."

"But it's because he lost me," Mokuba said softly. "I'd feel the same if I lost Seto."

"Why were those people banned from owning cards?!" Seto demanded. "There's no point to that! It's outrageous!"

"I've never known why," Kalin admitted. "I only know that Satellites have never been treated fairly. They're finally trying to connect the two parts of the city, so maybe hopefully that cruelty is ending now. But individual people's prejudices won't fade so easily. It could be decades before there isn't a lingering stigma about the Satellite." He leaned forward. "Stop here."

The chauffeur of Lector's limousine stopped in some surprise near the grounds of the KaibaCorp building. "Here?"

Kalin opened the door and got out. "The portal is hidden in the bushes."

Everyone followed.

"But you said the portal comes out in the ruined area," Téa said. "Does that mean . . . ?!"

"All of this is gone in my world," Kalin said brusquely. "The reactor was right near here." He looked back over his shoulder. "You're all going to see a lot of strange and upsetting things, especially when this is the Domino City you know. Are you sure you still want to come with me?"

"I'm coming," Seto insisted.

"So am I," Mokuba declared.

"Ordinarily you wouldn't want Mokuba to come along on something like this, Kaiba," Joey remarked.

Seto grunted. "We've never had ‘something like this' before, Wheeler. And you can bet I don't want him to get too close to that gateway to the Underworld or whatever."

Kalin led the way to the bushes in question near the edge of the grounds. "It's over here," he announced. "I'll go through first and make sure it's safe. There's still a lot of riffraff that hangs out there." He climbed through a ripple in space before anyone could protest.

"Hey, wait!" Nesbitt was quickly over to the spot and peering through the opening. He went stiff.

"That bad, huh?" Crump frowned.

Nesbitt shook his head and backed up. "I . . . don't recognize it at all," he rasped. "It's horrible. . . ."

Lector was chilled. Nesbitt's usual reaction when upset was to blow up. Becoming utterly shaken like this was not something Lector expected to see from him. He gripped Nesbitt's shoulder.

Joey ran over to look through next. But just as he started to lean through, Kalin came back and they nearly clanked heads. Joey yelped, falling backwards to the ground.

Kalin just gave him a deadpan look. "It's safe," he announced. "Come on, whoever's going to go."

Yugi took a deep breath. "Well, this is it. . . ." He looked up at his friends. "We have to be strong and do this, guys. . . ."

Atem gave an encouraging nod. "Let's go."

"And hey, be careful and don't be gone too long," Crump worried. From his expression, he was considering going over too, even though the group was already getting too big.

"We'll keep in touch if we can," Nesbitt gruffly said, holding up his phone. In the past, they had been able to call across dimensions, but only if those they were calling were still in the correct dimension.

"We might only be gone a few minutes, if all we do is talk to Dr. Fudo," Lector said.

"And that's if you can get him to come out," Tristan said.

"We'll be waiting here," Gansley said.

Finally Yugi took the plunge and went through the portal with Kalin, his eyes tightly squeezed shut. When he dared to open them again, he wished he hadn't. "No!" he cried in horror.

The devastation stretched as far as he could see. There were no buildings, only piles of rubble and refuse almost as tall. Up ahead was a huge pit in the ground. Everything was covered in snow, but even the pure whiteness couldn't disguise or soften the blow of what they saw.

"What the heck?!" Joey screamed as he came through next. "This can't be Domino City! It looks like a warzone over here!"

"I told you it wasn't a pretty sight," Kalin said.

The others swiftly climbed through as well. Atem froze in horror. "I thought it was bad enough to see Egypt in ruins," he said. "But to see this is just as bad, if not worse. And to know Yugi was lost here . . . !"

Yugi went over to him. "I'm not lost now," he said firmly. "And we won't let this happen in our world."

Seto was having a similar reaction. He could only stare at the nothingness in mounting anguish. Mokuba had been lost here, and it was his, Seto's fault. . . . Even if it really wasn't, he would never not be able to feel that it was. "Mokuba," he rasped.

Mokuba came up next to him, his eyes filled with horror and heartbreak. "Seto . . ." He threw his arms around Seto's waist and Seto clutched him.

The portal rippled one more time and Marik grimly stepped through. "I know I probably shouldn't be here, but I wanted to come for Mokuba," he said quietly. He gazed at the destruction, his stomach twisting. "It looks like I need to be."

"Oh Marik . . ." Mokuba went over to his friend. "I don't even know what to say. . . ."

Marik drew him close. "What can be said? There are no words."

Mokuba sobbed.

Téa and Lector were also stricken. "We have to stop this from happening," Téa exclaimed. "Even if our dimensions are the same, how could it be right to just let something like this happen if we have a chance to stop it?!" She clenched a fist. "I think Ishizu's right. Kalin wouldn't have ended up back with us if this wasn't supposed to be stopped!"

"And then if our dimensions are indeed different, it will still happen in Kalin's world," Lector said with a heavy heart. "I can't stand to think of any versions of us going through this. And for any Mokuba to be lost. . . ."

Kalin was looking towards the pit. "Maybe you should go over there without me," he said. "After what I did to Yusei, Dr. Fudo won't want anything to do with me. He might not talk to you if I'm there."

"If he's been hangin' out here, would he even know?" Joey frowned.

"This was where those using the dark force of the Dark Signers gathered," Kalin said. "He would have heard everything in our meetings."

Joey cringed. "Oh boy."

Seto was already marching towards the pit. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Ordinarily he would feel ridiculous, to say the least. But not now, after everything they had experienced. And this was for Mokuba. Anything done for Mokuba would never make him feel ridiculous.

It was a surprise when an ethereal figure immediately began to materialize. Mokuba gasped and jumped back. "Mr. Kaiba?!" the ghost exclaimed.

Seto straightened. He definitely recognized his intern's distinctive looks, even though here he was older. "Fudo. . . ."

The spectre's attention was already drifting to the child standing near Seto. "Mokuba Kaiba," he gasped. "But . . . no, you're a child again. . . . That can't be right." He looked up with a start of realization. "Time travel. . . ."

"You think fast," Seto grunted. "We may have time-traveled, or we may be from another dimension altogether. In any case, I'm here to find out if there's any chance a dimensional rift opened up and swallowed some of the people, including Mokuba."

". . . I don't know," Dr. Fudo admitted. "Everything was absolute chaos when the reactor exploded. I have stayed on because I blamed myself for what happened. I should have done more to stop it. I knew the project was too unstable and potentially dangerous! But when I tried to bring my concerns to the table, I was swiftly replaced and the project went on." Bitterness and anger filled his voice.

Seto stiffened. "I did that? Or this other me did it?!" He clenched a shaking fist. "Then it wasn't your fault, Fudo. It was mine."

"Maybe so, but I am still not at rest," Dr. Fudo said. "I can't help you with what you seek."

"If you're really not at rest, then do something about it!" Seto boomed. "Help us figure out if anyone could have survived!"

"The only survivor I know of other than you is Rex Goodwin," Dr. Fudo said, "but he has perished now too." He frowned, pausing as he really considered the problem. "If a dimensional rift opened up, it must have closed almost immediately. There might be some traces of it in the atmosphere still. Maybe magical objects could reveal it."

Seto was more focused on the man's other words. "I was here when everything blew up?!"

"Well, not ‘here,' but at the KaibaCorp building nearby," Dr. Fudo said. "You were going to duel Yugi Muto."

Mokuba gasped. "Then that's why Yugi was here. . . ."

"So why weren't me and Tristan and Téa here?!" Joey demanded. "We'd come to cheer Yug on!"

"Maybe you hadn't arrived yet," Dr. Fudo said. "I don't know."

"So the Bakuras arrived first, and then the explosion happened before anyone else could get here?" Téa gasped. "How horrible. . . ."

Nesbitt stepped forward. "If magic objects could reveal any possible rifts in space, we should focus on that right now," he said gruffly.

Lector nodded. "I agree," he said. Trying to push back his horrified feelings, he held out his amethyst ring. Nesbitt clinked his citrine ring against his.

Atem's Infinity Puzzle began to glow. "Please, reveal to us if there is any possible hope of a dimensional rift," he implored it.

All three objects briefly glowed, but then went out.

Mokuba looked down in sorrow. "I guess it was too much of a long-shot. . . ."

"After 17 years, any traces of the rift could have faded," Marik said. "We shouldn't give up yet. I wonder if getting the other rings and Yami Bakura would change anything. . . ."

"You can try, but I doubt anything will be revealed," Dr. Fudo said.

"And you said Mokuba isn't a child in this world," Seto said. "Just how far in the future are we?!"

"Mokuba was 23 when he was lost," Dr. Fudo said.

"Then, if that was 17 years before what the time is now . . ." Téa did some quick math in her head. "It's only been 30 years from our time?!"

Yugi's stomach turned. "We just have to stop this," he said sadly. "We can't let Domino City look like this in 30 years!"

"Well, right now we have to think about whether there's any way to get Mokuba and you and the others back," Seto retorted. "If this is another dimension, preventing it in ours won't stop it from happening here!"

"Sir, is there anything else we can do?" Lector asked Dr. Fudo. "Maybe someone who might know more? Perhaps a scientist experimenting with alternate dimensions?"

Dr. Fudo pondered. "You could see if Rebecca Hawkins is around," he suggested. "If anyone would go into such research, it would be her."

Lector gave a slight bow. "Thank you."

"Hey," Mokuba spoke up. "The way you're talking, you haven't even seen me or Yugi or the Bakuras among the lost souls, have you?" He looked pointedly at Dr. Fudo.

"No, I haven't," Dr. Fudo said. "But that doesn't necessarily mean what you're hoping it might. All of you could have gone on to the afterlife instead of remaining here as restless spirits."

Yugi looked down. "That's true. Well, I think what we're going to do is get the other magic item holders and see if any dimensional traces will respond to all of them. If that doesn't work, we'll go find Rebecca."

"Good luck," Dr. Fudo said. He paused. "But how did all of you get here anyway? How did you know anything of this world or time before you found me?"

Kalin stiffened. He had remained behind, hidden in the shadows for fear of what his presence would do to this mission. But now that Dr. Fudo had told all he could, Kalin didn't see fit to lie about being there any longer. He stepped out. "I ended up in their world and I told them," he said.

Dr. Fudo looked to him, eyes flashing. "You!" He clenched his fists. "After all you did to Yusei when he was innocent of your accusations . . . !" The air began to pulsate with outrage. Suddenly it felt like the restless spirits were starting to gather in response to Dr. Fudo's anger. Terrified, Mokuba clung to Seto.

Lector stepped protectively in front of Kalin. "No one blames Mr. Kessler more than he does himself," he said.

Kalin walked out from behind Lector. "That's right. And if you want me, I'll give myself up to you right now." He knelt on one knee before Dr. Fudo and bowed his head.

Dr. Fudo stared at him for a long moment. Slowly the overwhelming feelings of anger faded. "No," he said. "There's been enough hatred and revenge enacted on these grounds already. Rex Goodwin sacrificed himself to revive you and the other Dark Signers. If you have truly changed, you deserve that second chance. And I won't break Yusei's heart further by cutting that short." He turned away. "Get up and keep helping these people."

Stunned, Kalin slowly got to his feet. Lector smiled, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Sir," he said.

Dr. Fudo just shook his head and didn't turn back. "I wish all of you luck in your endeavors," he said. He faded back into the pit and the light surrounding it and him dissolved into the darkness.

Nesbitt drew a shaking breath. "I'll go get the others," he said. Without waiting for a response from anyone, he walked back to the portal and looked through it.

"Nesbitt?" Gansley frowned.

"You look terrible," Crump exclaimed. "What's going on over there?!"

"It's a complete mess," Nesbitt said. "But we need the other magic users to see if we can find traces of a dimensional rift in the air. If that doesn't work, we're going to look for Rebecca Hawkins."

Gansley nodded. "Very well." He stepped through without further questions and Crump and Johnson trailed after him. Yami Bakura brought up the rear, passing Oreo to Bakura before crossing through the doorway in space.

"Are all of you okay?" Serenity asked in concern. "Maybe we should all come over."

"You shouldn't have to see this," Nesbitt gruffly told her.

"It really is a mess!" Crump exclaimed in horror. "I don't recognize anything!"

"Not all of Satellite looks like this," Kalin told him. "Some is still recognizable. This is the worst part. No one lives here except criminals on the run from the law. And even some of them can't take it."

"Well, let's get on with what we're supposed to do," Yami Bakura growled.

All of the magic users called upon the power of their items. But just as before, they only glowed for mere moments before going out again.

"This is a no-go," Yugi sighed. "I guess we'd better find Rebecca. I wonder when she moved here. . . ."

"She's probably over the bridge in New Domino City," Kalin said.

"You know a lot about this place," Nesbitt said, frowning at him. "Do you know anything about her?"

"Not much," Kalin said. He hesitated, then added, "She was married to Yugi, though. That's probably why she would be conducting research into alternate dimensions, if she is."

Yugi went absolutely red. "She . . . um, okay. . . . I . . ." He shook his head.

"Man, that's a weird picture," Joey frowned. "I know she's nuts about you, Pal, but I thought it was just a kid's crush or something."

Téa's hands were on her hips. "She'd better have matured since then!" she declared.

"I haven't ever seen much of New Domino City," Kalin said, "except The Facility and a few random things after I . . . died and was reborn as a Dark Signer. I probably won't be much help to you over there."

"Maybe not, but you know more about this time than any of us do," Seto said. "You'd better stay with us, like Fudo said."

"I don't like the thought of goin' back after we've seen all this," Crump said uneasily as he glanced around the destroyed area. "Maybe we should all stay."

"As I said, all of you are alive in this time," Kalin pointed out. "And some of the rest of this group is as well. What if you run into your counterparts from here?"

Crump gave an awkward laugh. "I guess that could get pretty sticky, couldn't it." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But wouldn't it be just as sticky if Lector met himself as it would be if I or Gansley or Johnson met ourselves?"

"The smaller the group, the less likely it might happen," Kalin said. "But it's up to you; it's not my decision."

"There weren't many problems when it happened in that other dimension," Yugi said slowly, "but who knows if things would be the same here, considering all they've gone through. . . ."

"I'm not going to wait for you to figure it out," Seto said flatly. "I'm going."

"It's not like any of us can just wander around here without Kalin!" Mokuba exclaimed. "This isn't our Domino City. We won't have any idea where to go!"

Seto knew that, of course, but he hoped to spur the rest of the group to action.

"Okay," Yugi said then. "Everyone coming with us, just come. Let's not stay around figuring out who's going to come."

That sounded logical, and everyone else trooped after Yugi. Téa turned to cast a last look at the haunting sight, but quickly looked away again. They were going to fix this. That was the only thing that could be.

But even if they did, she knew she would never get this horrible sight out of her mind.


	6. Chapter 6

It didn't take long for Yugi to notice that Atem was unusually quiet. As Kalin led the group through the horrific ruins of Satellite and towards the bridge connecting it at last with New Domino City, Yugi sidled up to his dear friend. "Atem? Are you okay?"

Atem didn't even try to put on a facade. He just slowly shook his head. "All this destruction and devastation . . . with you right in the middle of it. . . ." His voice cracked. "If I didn't return in this world, your early death was not how I wanted us to be reunited!"

Yugi gave a sad smile and laid a hand on Atem's shoulder. "Me either, honestly," he said softly. "This future is horrible! I hope we can stop it from happening in our world, even if not here."

"At least, as Lector said, even if we can't stop it from coming, perhaps being forewarned will enable us to escape our counterparts' fates," Atem said. "But to think of this happening to any Yugi is horrific!"

"I know." Yugi blinked back tears. "And Mokuba too. And the Bakuras. . . ."

Atem looked away. "Part of me honestly wishes Kalin had never stepped through that portal and found us," he confessed. "If this is not our world, then I would have rather never known about it. But . . . if there's any chance you and the others survived, we needed to know so that we could do as we're doing and try to help."

"Yeah." Yugi bit his lip. "Kalin probably wishes he'd never stepped through that portal either." He looked to where he could see Kalin moving slowly and stealthily against the night. His pale blue hair stood out, both against the sky and his dark coat.

"Kalin doesn't seem to be able to be helped right now," Atem said. "He reminds me of how I was after I lost you to the Orichalcos."

Yugi nodded. "I know. But I still hope something we've said can really get through to him and help him."

"Hey," Joey suddenly spoke up, diverting their attention from their conversation. "What did me and Tristan and Téa even think about what happened?" he wondered. "I mean, if Yug was out here because Kaiba wanted to duel him, and then all this went down . . . did we blame Kaiba for it?" He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm pretty sure I would have, in the past."

"I don't know," Kalin admitted. "It's possible Téa blamed him and that added to their marriage being strained. As for you, you're a professional Duelist in this time. When you're in town, the paparazzi are always after you. I haven't ever heard that you've gone to see Seto Kaiba. Make of that what you will."

"But it wasn't Seto's fault!" Mokuba cried.

Seto glowered ahead. "I sponsored the reactor project and refused to listen when legitimate concerns were raised, and I got Yugi out here the day the thing blew up. If it was anyone's fault, Mokuba, it was mine."

Kalin exhaled, sharply. "There was more to it. Another of the researchers, Roman Goodwin, went insane and deliberately caused the reactor to go up."

Seto snarled. "Was he the one who replaced Fudo?!"

". . . Yes," Kalin admitted. "It was some of your board of directors who arranged it. They secretly worked for a group called Iliaster."

"Were they acting with my blessing?" Seto demanded.

"They convinced you Dr. Fudo was wrong and should be replaced so the research could go on," Kalin said.

"Then it was still my fault," Seto stubbornly insisted. "I should have done my own research and not listened to them alone!"

The silence hung heavy over the group. Kalin couldn't argue Seto's points, not when he hated himself so much for his own sins, and many of the others in the group understood as well, whether or not they agreed. Seto would not be able to be convinced otherwise.

Joey frowned. ". . . I wanna be glad that I make it to the big leagues, but it sounds so hollow after all this," he said at last, hoping to diffuse the tension with a new topic.

Kalin hesitated. "You and your sister come to Satellite sometimes to help out, running charity drives or just visiting the people. You've even helped smuggle some of them to New Domino City. That won't be necessary anymore, with the bridge, but it filled a need in the past."

"Yeah?" Joey perked up a bit. "That is pretty cool."

"Lector and Nesbitt often brought you over," Kalin continued. "I never met any of you, but everyone in Satellite heard about your exploits."

"I am glad to know we were trying to do good," Lector said quietly.

They came to a stop in front of the bridge, and the group stopped and stared. It was huge, stretching off into the horizon and over to New Domino City far in the distance.

"Wow," Téa said softly.

"It's so far away," Yugi said, with sadness in his voice. "But now . . . closer than it's been for years. . . ." He touched the railing.

"Why are there two bridges?" Nesbitt grunted, eying the smaller and half-finished bridge to the side of the large highway bridge.

"The first was started as an amateur attempt and left unfinished for years because it was against the law to build it," Kalin said. "The second was built officially when Rex Goodwin okayed the project at last."

"Well, thank goodness he finally did," Téa exclaimed.

Kalin stepped onto the finished bridge, slowly and cautiously, almost as if he expected it to dissolve into the night. He had only used it a couple of times, and it never felt any less surreal. He increased his pace, and behind him he could hear the others swiftly following.

"You know, Satellite doesn't really look that big compared to where we're going," Crump frowned after a while. He had stopped walking and had turned back to look at the island. "I thought Domino split down the middle?"

"Not everything ended up in Satellite," Kalin said. "There were entire city blocks that completely sank into the ocean."

Téa gasped. "No!"

Yugi was sickened. He also turned back to look, but had to quickly look away.

Atem drew an arm around Yugi's shoulders. Biting back more tears, Yugi hugged Atem around the waist as they continued to walk over the bridge.

Mokuba was also crying again. He clutched at Seto's coat as they walked. So many buildings destroyed. . . . KaibaCorp. . . . So many lives lost, with only a slim chance that anyone might have survived through a hypothetical dimensional rift. . . . Seto never the same again, blaming himself and possibly being blamed by others. . . .

". . . I don't like to ask," Marik spoke, "but did my family survive? And the museum?"

"Yes," Kalin said.

The lights of New Domino City pierced through everyone's thoughts as they arrived on the other side of the bridge. Téa brought her hand to her forehead. "It's so bright. . . ."

"Quite a contrast, huh?" Crump remarked. "Looks like the rest of the city is doing alright."

Mokuba looked out at the sprawling metropolis. "This is as amazing as Satellite is awful," he said softly.

"There are good things about Satellite," Kalin said. "When I was drowning in hatred I couldn't see it, but the people are close-knit and look out for each other. There are people like Martha and Crow who take in all the orphans they can. The people are hard-working and don't bum around. It wasn't their fault they were given such a dump to live in, but they made the best of it that they could."

"That's good," Mokuba said. "Um . . . where's the new KaibaCorp building?"

Kalin nodded towards the heart of the city. "The tallest building, the one with the spotlights around it."

Mokuba stared at it and shook his head. "That doesn't look like KaibaCorp at all. . . ."

"Seto Kaiba wasn't the one in charge of constructing the new building," Kalin said. "He didn't care what it looked like."

"I sure didn't," Seto growled. "Look at that logo! It's barely recognizable as a K and a C!"

"It was a re-envisioning of the company," Kalin said. "Public opinion of KaibaCorp seriously dropped due to their sponsorship of the reactor project. The board of directors decided a new look and new approach was needed. KaibaCorp was responsible for establishing New Domino City, which greatly helped its reputation."

"You sure know a lot about it," Mokuba frowned.

"This is public knowledge," Kalin replied. "That, and I know some of what Iliaster was up to because of Roman Goodwin. He . . . was my boss when I was a Dark Signer. He always tried to keep abreast of Iliaster's activities."

Seto set his teeth and turned away. "Let's just find Hawkins."

Gansley eyed Kalin with a frown as they resumed walking. "What is this Iliaster? I've heard of them in some of my business circles, but they've always been shrouded in secret, just like the Paradius company was."

"I've heard of Paradius," Kalin said. "Iliaster is similar, influencing events all over the world to go as they wish to help further their goals." He might have said more, but something else suddenly occurred to Nesbitt and he interrupted.

"Wait a minute! Roman Goodwin was your boss?! But Dr. Fudo said Rex Goodwin was the survivor! If Roman caused the explosion, wasn't he there at the time?!"

"Yes," Kalin said quietly. "To become a Dark Signer, you have to die first."

"What?!" Téa shrieked.

Joey leaped away from Kalin in horror. "You're a zombie?!"

Seto scowled. "Does he sound like a zombie, Wheeler?"

Joey froze in mid-jump. ". . . Well, no, but . . ."

Kalin looked increasingly weary. "A Dark Signer is someone at the brink of death who either agrees to accept the darkness or who has it forced on them if the dark force finds them an appropriate candidate. Either way, they die and then are reborn fueled only by their anger and hatred, or whatever unfinished business makes them a worthy wielder of the power."

"He did say he'd died and was reborn, Joseph," Johnson commented, adjusting his glasses to hide how truly unsettled he was by the information.

Joey gulped. "I . . . must've blocked that out."

Lector looked at Kalin with sadness and kindness. "But if your actions were fueled solely by a dark force twisting your anger and hatred, how can you fully blame yourself? It sounds like you weren't in control at all."

Kalin clenched a fist. "I accepted the darkness because of my anger and hatred. And even if that was my life force as a Dark Signer, my soul was still there too. I did nothing to stop myself. I didn't want to stop myself. And for that, I deserve the worst punishment imaginable, when I find it." He looked up at Lector. "Don't you see?! Even before the darkness took me, I had already allowed myself to be twisted by my own feelings! There wasn't even much more the darkness had to do!"

Before Lector could respond, Joey was running over, eyes flashing. "Look, man." He grabbed a handful of Kalin's shirt. "I know better than most that people can be corrupted by their dark feelings and the darkness can twist it into something even worse. That happened to one of my best friends! And you know, she still hasn't forgiven herself either. But you can't give up on life or yourself! You have to keep going!" He let go of Kalin and clenched a fist. "I got corrupted by an evil force too, and I almost got Yugi killed because of it! When I finally got control of myself, I just wanted to die! But my sister and my friends helped me see that wasn't a solution and I just had to move on and try to be better! That's all you can do."

"But what if that isn't good enough?" Kalin countered. He turned away. "I appreciate all of you trying to help me, but everyone's pain and sorrow is different. No one can really understand mine. I'll keep doing what I can to help you with your problem, but then I have my own demons to deal with." He walked off down the sidewalk.

Joey snarled in frustration. "That guy! People like that are just . . . gah! They're beyond help! You guys were able to talk sense into me when I was struggling!"

Nesbitt grunted. "He's right about one thing," he said. "Everyone's pain is different. Although I understand his in large part, even I don't fully know what he's feeling." He frowned at Joey. "But if you figure he's beyond help, then he probably will be. My friends never gave up on me or on believing I could be helped. That's why I was able to pull out of my self-hatred enough to keep going. I still have to deal with it; it doesn't fully go away. But at least I know that when I backslide, they'll be there to catch me."

Joey looked away with a scowl. ". . . Yeah, that's the same with me," he admitted. "But seriously, Yug. . . ." He looked to Yugi. "I really don't think there's anything more we can do for this guy."

"Nothing except be here for him," Yugi said. "I hope he'll decide to go back to his friend, but as long as he feels he can't, we're all he's got."

Joey sighed. "I guess you're right, Pal."

Up ahead, Kalin stopped short in front of a car parked at the curb. "Carly Carmine?" He frowned, then knocked lightly on the driver's side window.

A girl slumped over the steering wheel was suddenly up like a shot. "Huh?! What?!" She turned to stare at Kalin. "Do I know you?"

Surprise flickered in Kalin's eyes, but then he averted his gaze. "No. Not really."

"Well, then, why . . ." Carly leaned forward, looking unsure whether to even roll down the window or open the door for a stranger. But then she caught sight of the rest of the group and gasped. "It can't be! Yugi Muto?! Seto Kaiba?!" She flung the door open. "What's going on here?!"

Kalin had skillfully jumped aside when the door went flying. Now he was deadpan again. "These aren't the Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba from this time," he said. "They're from the past. Maybe even from a parallel dimension."

"Are you serious?!" Carly's thick glasses slipped down her nose, revealing wide, excited eyes. "What are they doing here?! This is the scoop of the century!"

Yugi gave a nervous chuckle, while Seto just fixed Carly with an unconcerned stare. "If you're not concerned about being branded a lunatic for talking about things like alternate dimensions," he grunted.

Carly wilted. ". . . Oh. You're probably right."

"Why were you sleeping in your car?" Téa asked.

"I was just trying to watch somebody I thought might lead me to a big story," Carly defended.

"And you fell asleep," Mokuba finished.

Carly flushed. "Well, I . . . okay, so I did! But what are you guys all doing here?! Off the record," she quickly added.

"We're looking for Rebecca Hawkins," Téa said. "We need to talk with her about something."

Now Carly squealed. "Rebecca Hawkins?! The Rebecca Hawkins?! She's amazing! I would love to get an interview with her . . . but she's always too booked up or unavailable." She sighed.

Lector stepped forward. "Would you happen to know where she lives or works?" he asked.

"I could totally take you to where she works," Carly chirped. "Sometimes she pulls all-nighters. She might still be there!"

"Is it far from here?" Gansley queried. "We don't have a car." He eyed hers. "And we certainly wouldn't all fit in yours."

"Oh, that's no problem!" Carly said. "She has her own private lab right here on the coastline! Come on, I'll take you right to it!" She beckoned to them and skipped down the sidewalk.

Yugi's eyes flickered. "Right near where the explosion happened," he said softly.

Joey frowned. "She really is hung up on what happened. She probably is trying to figure out some way to bring you back, Yug."

"Well . . ." Yugi reddened. "She's probably just the person we need to see then."

"I wonder if it will be too much of a shock for her to see you, Yugi," Johnson remarked.

". . . Yeah!" Yugi pounced. "Maybe I should stay back when we get there."

"If it were me and I had the chance to see a loved one again, I would want to . . . even if he wasn't exactly the one I'd lost," Lector said quietly. "If I may say so, Yugi, I believe you would be doing Ms. Hawkins a grave disservice not to see her. I know it would be awkward, given your . . . relationship here, but I fully believe it would be the right thing to do."

Yugi drew a deep breath. "You're right. It's just . . ." He rubbed the back of his head. "What will I even say to her? She's still a kid in our time. . . ."

"Just treat her like a friend," Téa said softly. "She'd understand."

"Hey, I just thought of something," Crump exclaimed. "Why wasn't Rebecca there to cheer Yugi on in that duel with Kaiba?!"

Kalin didn't stop walking and didn't turn around as he answered. "She couldn't get out of an overseas assignment at the time," he said. "She was working under someone else back then."

Yugi looked down. "Oh. . . ."

"Poor Rebecca," Téa said. "She must have been devastated. . . ."

Joey peered at her. "You know, you're usually not this empathetic with Rebecca, Téa," he remarked.

Téa sighed and shook her head. "If she married Yugi, that childish crush must have become something deep," she said. "And in any case, I know how I'd feel to lose someone I cared about . . . especially to have not even been able to be there when it happened. . . ." She frowned. "And I experienced that too, just like Rebecca. Apparently I wasn't here when it happened either."

Carly turned around to look at them while she was walking. "This is still so exciting to get to meet all of you," she exclaimed. "I wish I could interview you . . . even though Mr. Kaiba is probably right about people thinking I'm crazy. Then again, most people think that anyway."

"Well . . . maybe we can do a short interview later, if there's time," Yugi said kindly. "Are we almost there?"

"Yep!" Carly skipped ahead to a long, white building. "It's over here!"

"How do you know her anyway?" Crump asked Kalin. "She doesn't seem exactly your type."

"And why doesn't she remember you?" Nesbitt frowned.

Kalin sighed. "She was also a Dark Signer, but an unwilling one. Her memories of that time were mercifully taken away, probably because she didn't join willingly. I accepted the darkness and therefore must pay the price for it by remembering everything."

Joey frowned. "As hard as it'd be, I'd rather remember everything I did," he said. "I'll bet it drives her nuts that she doesn't remember."

Kalin looked resigned. "If I forgot, I'd be living a lie," he agreed. "But Carly shouldn't have to remember when it wasn't her fault."

Carly had gone all the way up to the white building's door by now. "It's locked," she called. "We'll have to use the intercom." She pressed a red button next to the door.

"Who's there?" The voice was older, familiar, and very crabby.

"That's Rebecca, alright," Joey remarked. "She really must've pulled an all-nighter."

Yugi bit his lip. He would probably have to speak up to get Rebecca to let them in. She might not even believe it was really him, though. What would they do in that case?

"It's Carly Carmine the reporter," Carly announced. "I've brought some people who want to see you."

"I'm not seeing anyone right now, Ms. Carmine," Rebecca retorted. "They'll have to come back some other time."

"But . . . it's people from another time or dimension or something," Carly exclaimed. "They might not be here another time!"

A pause. "What are you going on about, Ms. Carmine?" Rebecca still sounded irritated, but cautiously hopeful as well. She definitely didn't sound like she thought Carly had gone insane.

Yugi took a deep breath and stepped forward. "She's telling the truth, Rebecca," he said. "Um . . . it's me . . . from when I was . . . younger. . . ."

Now Rebecca gasped. "Yugi!" The electronic doors all but flew open. "Come in!"

Not sure what to expect, the group slowly advanced into the empty but well-lit corridor. Carly gleefully trailed after them just before the doors shut again.


	7. Chapter 7

For a moment everyone stood in confusion in the lobby, looking around at the different pathways. Everything seemed deserted for the night, except for Rebecca's voice on the intercom. But she hadn't said anything more and now the group was starting to feel awkward.

Joey leaned down to Yugi. "Hey, Yug . . . what's goin' on here?"

Yugi could only give a helpless shrug. "I don't know. . . ."

"Maybe she's looking at us through that security camera up there," Nesbitt grunted, indicating a camera suspended in the upper corner.

"Oh great," Joey scowled.

Crump moved over to Lector. "You know, I was thinkin' about what Kalin said about a Dark Signer bein' fueled by their anger and hatred. That kinda sounds like how we ended up when we were stuck in virtual reality."

Lector's eyes flickered with sorrow at the memories. "It does," he said. "We lost almost all sense of self and were consumed by our revenge and desperation."

"Well, it probably wouldn't help, but maybe we should tell Kalin about that," Crump said.

Lector nodded. "We should."

But it would have to wait, as footsteps echoed down the hall and suddenly a frantic woman ran out, her white lab coat whipping around her and her long blonde hair streaming loose behind her. She stopped in front of the group, tears filling her green eyes. "Yugi," she whispered. She focused on the short boy but didn't move, instead staying where she was to simply take in the sight of him.

Yugi shifted, still not sure how to react. "Um . . . hi, Rebecca," he finally stammered.

Rebecca bent over, her hands on her knees, as she looked at Yugi more closely. "Even though you're not the Yugi from this time, I'm so happy to see you again!" she choked out. "It's been so long, these past 17 years. . . ."

Then, without warning, she straightened abruptly and was all business. "So, what are all of you doing here?!" she demanded. "How did you get here?! Are you really from this world or another dimension?!"

"Wow," Carly remarked. "She would actually make a pretty good reporter." She clasped her hands, regarding Rebecca with empathy. "I don't think I could hold it together this much if anything happened to Jack and I finally got to see him again. . . ."

"We came through a portal that opened in time and space," Atem said, rescuing Yugi by stepping forward to take over the conversation. "I believe we're from an alternate dimension. We came because we wondered if there was any chance that your Yugi and the others who are missing might have fallen through a temporary dimensional rift."

"We've had experience with that kinda thing before," Crump added.

Rebecca sighed. "That's exactly what I've been hoping ever since it happened," she said. "I quit my job and started researching everything I could on alternate dimensions. Grandpa helped a lot. But still, after all this time, I'm no closer to finding any answers." She stared as the rest of Atem's words processed. "A portal just opened? I've been trying to make one open for years! How did you just get one to open?!"

Yugi awkwardly rubbed his head. "Well, in our world, it just happens from time to time. We think maybe it's pent-up magical energy that suddenly overloads and pokes holes in the space-time continuum because of it."

"Which sounds utterly ridiculous when you put it like that," Yami Bakura grunted.

"We have a magical object that can open portals, though," Téa spoke up. "We could try to use it now, but we'd have no idea where to begin."

"Just trying it anywhere would be better than nothing!" Rebecca declared. "And it's more progress than I've made in 17 years!" She sighed. "You really must be from an alternate world. There was never anything like that here. And the Pharaoh never came back." She eyed Atem.

"We suspected as much," Atem consented.

"Do you have this object with you right now?!" Rebecca wanted to know.

"It's being held by friends on the other side of the portal," Atem said. "We do it that way in case the existing portal closes and the others need a way of reaching us."

"That makes sense," Rebecca said. "Well, then, I'll come with you to get it!"

Yugi shifted. "The portal's in Satellite, though," he said. "And it's in the worst part. Do you really want to go there?"

"I've been there before, extensively," Rebecca replied with a wave of her hand. "I conducted all kinds of tests at the blast site." She pressed a button on the wall and the doors opened. She stepped through in determination. "We'll take my van."

"Okay, if you're sure," Yugi said slowly. "But . . . you know, you might not find anything to help. . . ."

"It's worth trying." Rebecca wavered. "Yugi, I've been so lonely without you here. . . ."

Yugi looked down. "I'm sorry. . . ."

"Is Professor Hawkins still around?" Téa asked.

"Thankfully, yes," Rebecca said.

"He must be gettin' on by now," Joey said in surprise.

"He's in his nineties and still as brilliant as ever!" Rebecca defended.

". . . What about my grandpa?" Yugi quietly asked. Solomon was older than Professor Hawkins and had more health problems. With the twin shocks of losing Yugi and Domino City torn in two, would he really have been able to withstand it all?

Atem frowned and laid a hand on Yugi's shoulder. Yugi must have been worrying about that all along but had pushed it aside to help the others, including him. He should have thought about that.

"He's alive, Yugi," Rebecca kindly told him. "But he's always bemoaning that he survived and you didn't."

Yugi stared at the ground. "Poor Grampa. . . ."

It was as they reached the large white van that Kalin started to step away from the group. "You've found someone you know now," he said. "She'll be able to help you better than I could. I should go."

Lector started. "But where will you go, Mr. Kessler?"

"I don't know," Kalin said. "Away from here."

Rebecca turned to look at him as she opened the van door. "Who are you anyway?" she asked.

"Kalin Kessler," Kalin said. "I told them about this time and brought them over here. But I should really go."

"You don't look like you have anywhere to go," Rebecca frowned. "What's the rush?"

"I don't see that there's any more I can do," Kalin insisted.

"Wouldn't you kinda like to see how this all turns out?" Crump suggested. "If you go away, you might never know. It's not like we'd know how to reach you!"

Kalin had to smirk. "You're just using that as an excuse. You don't want me to leave because you're worried what I'll do to myself."

Crump shrugged. "It's a good enough reason!"

Rebecca looked both impatient and confused. "What's the matter with you?" she frowned at Kalin. "Are you suicidal or something?"

"No," Kalin said. "Suicide is far too simple an answer. It's over too quickly. I need to suffer long and hard for what I've done."

Rebecca finally slid into the driver's seat. "Well, suit yourself. I have to go see what this portal-opening device is so I can try to save my Yugi and the others who were lost."

"Are you serious?!" Carly squealed in alarm. "How can you be that unaffected when someone says something like that?!" She pointed wildly at Kalin and suddenly did a double-take. "Wait, Kalin Kessler?! Didn't Jack talk about you?! Weren't you his friend?!"

"In the past, yes," Kalin said. "Those times are long-gone now; I saw to that."

"If you want to talk about this, do it on the way!" Rebecca exclaimed. "I've been waiting 17 years for some smidgen of hope that Yugi might still be alive! Now I finally have it!"

Everyone started to climb into the van. Lector lingered, regarding Kalin with worry. "Please come with us, Mr. Kessler," he implored. "If you're looking for a chance for redemption, maybe this will be it."

Kalin looked doubtful, but he finally nodded. "Alright. I'll come . . . for now." He got in with Lector and Rebecca immediately shut the doors. She sped off almost too fast for comfort.

"Yiiikes!" Joey yelped as he fell forward. "Give us a chance to get settled first! Don't they still have speed limits in this time?!"

"Of course," Rebecca said. "But they've increased a lot since the arrival of Turbo Duels."

"What the heck are those?!" Joey struggled to get back in the seat and grabbed for the seatbelt. He forced it down just as Rebecca zoomed around a corner.

"Dueling on motorcycles!" Carly chirped. "It's so cool! Jack was the champion of Turbo Duels until Yusei dethroned him in the Fortune Cup this year."

Everyone except Kalin and Rebecca stared at Carly in varying levels of utter and complete disbelief.

"Dueling on motorcycles?!" Téa yelped. "How is that even safe?! You can't duel and concentrate on driving at the same time!"

"Of course not," Rebecca said. "The motorcycles go on Auto Pilot during duels."

"You can't even face your opponent if you're on a motorcycle," Seto grunted. "What's the point?"

"I don't know, honestly," Rebecca shrugged. "It's probably mostly daredevils who Turbo Duel. Some people still duel the old-fashioned way."

"I would hope so!" Téa exclaimed.

"Hmm. I suppose the Pharaoh and I performed the first Turbo Duel in ancient Egypt, on horseback," Yami Bakura remarked with a smirk.

Atem grunted. "That was different," he objected. "You forced me into that duel! I was hardly doing it for the fun of it."

". . . Don't you duel anymore, Rebecca?" Yugi asked.

Rebecca stared ahead at the bridge as they approached it. "I don't have time," she said. "And I don't really care anymore either. All I care about is getting you back."

"But . . ." Yugi looked down. "If that's not possible . . . if I'm really gone . . . I'd never want you to give up dueling because of me. You loved it so much. . . ."

"It doesn't have the same thrill anymore. Not without you." Rebecca drove over the bridge, still staring stubbornly ahead at the factories and smoke-stacks of Satellite. "Dueling is just a childish hobby. And I'm not a child anymore."

"It sounds like she still feels like a grown-up can't enjoy things for kids," Joey muttered. "Not that Duel Monsters is for kids. Did she forget how it started?!"

"Or maybe she was soured on dueling because I was going to a duel when the reactor exploded," Yugi suggested. Louder he said, "Is that it, Rebecca? Is that the real reason you don't want to duel anymore?"

"Well, it doesn't help," Rebecca admitted. "I mean, think of all the times you and the Pharaoh put your lives on the line to duel in life or death stakes and you came through it! And then there's a duel of no particular consequence and that's what takes your life!" She was gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white. Tears slipped from the edges of her eyes and she didn't even try to hide them.

". . . I'm sorry, Rebecca," Yugi said sadly. He felt so helpless in this surreal situation! "But . . . you know how much I love dueling. I hated having to play duels for such high stakes. I always wanted to be able to play duels just for fun, like we used to before we ever met Pegasus or Dartz or any of the other bad guys."

"And you didn't get to!" Rebecca cried.

". . . Rebecca, do you blame Kaiba for what happened?" Téa had to ask. "Or do you know if . . . I did?"

"I don't feel that great about him, I'll tell you that," Rebecca scowled. "You didn't blame him, no. We actually had an argument about that right before you left for New York. You kept insisting how no one felt worse than he did and he blamed himself enough for everyone."

"I'm sure that's true," Téa said softly.

"What about me and Tristan?" Joey asked.

"You haven't been on that great of terms with him," Rebecca said. "But we've never liked each other that much either, so I'm not sure if you blame him or not."

Joey cringed. "We still haven't got over that?"

Rebecca shrugged. "Some people's personalities clash too much to get along. Opposites attract isn't always the truth."

"I can get behind that," Joey said.

Silence fell as Rebecca drove the last stretch to the site of the disaster. Nesbitt hesitated, then looked to Kalin. "All of us have been thinking," he said gruffly. "Your story of what one is like as a Dark Signer sounds like what happened to all of us when we were trapped in virtual reality. You said that's public in this time. We lost almost all sense of self in there. It felt like the only thing we kept hold of was vengeance."

"That does sound similar," Kalin agreed. "And you attacked the innocent. It's hard for me to grasp that any of you could find forgiveness for what you did."

"We have, though," Lector said quietly.

"But you still didn't degrade so far as to attack those you cared about," Kalin continued. "Lector made sure no one went after Mokuba. And none of you turned against each other."

"You always have an answer for everything," Joey said. He frowned. "I guess that's really how I felt too. I let my friends help me and I tried to push back how I was feeling, but it was always there. I kept hating myself for feeling like a failure or getting mind-controlled. It always felt like my case was different than other people's and no one got that. But I kept picking myself up with my friends' help and going on, no matter how I felt inside."

"That's the same with me," Nesbitt said. "You can't just give up on life! No matter how much you hate yourself, you have to keep trying to make a go of it. To just wallow in your self-hatred and go away hurts your friends more than if you stayed and tried to work through it."

"What you're saying all sounds good and even logical," Kalin said. "But both of you still have strong ties to your friends. You didn't ruin all the ties you had. To go to my friends after what I did and expect or even ask for forgiveness would be wrong. I can't be that presumptuous."

"I thought I'd ruined all the ties I had many times over," Nesbitt growled. "I still can hardly believe I didn't. They still love me and they still want me around. They don't think I messed everything up irreparably."

"Because we see the good in you as well as the bad," Gansley said.

Lector nodded. "And because we realize that 99%, if not 100%, of the time, you never mean to be hurtful. You're just so emotional that things come out that way."

"I never heard you quote percentages before, Lector," Crump commented. "He's right, though!"

Kalin sighed and leaned back against the seat, looking out blankly at the bleak scenery they were passing as they neared the pit. "In my case it was different, though. I absolutely meant to cause harm and be hurtful. That consumed me and drove me even before I became a Dark Signer."

Carly shifted in her seat. ". . . When I tried to interview Yusei about the Dark Signers, he said you were a troubled kid and Roman Goodwin took advantage of that." She gave Kalin a smile. "He doesn't hate you, and I'm pretty sure he forgave you. You really could go back to him!"

"It's a nice thought, at least," Kalin said.

Rebecca pulled up to a halt by the pit. "Okay, here we are," she said brusquely. "Now, show me where the portal is!" She pushed up her glasses and got out of the van. It was soon clear that she was very deliberately not looking at the pit and wanting to avoid doing so in every way possible.

Yugi quickly exited the van and hurried over to her. "I think you can see it," he said. "It's kind of like a ripple in the air . . . oh!" He stumbled and fell through it, where he found himself staring at his stunned loved ones on the other side.

"Yugi, what's going on?" Tristan frowned.

"Well, we brought Rebecca," Yugi said. He awkwardly climbed through the rest of the way. "She wanted to see the portal-opener and see if it could be used to save everyone. But um . . . I need to warn you guys before she comes over. . . . Um . . ." He shifted and stammered, soon going completely red.

"What on Earth is it, Yugi?" Solomon asked. "Not just anything could embarrass you to this extent!"

"Rebecca's married to me." Yugi spoke in such a low whisper that everyone had to strain to hear it.

". . . Did you just say what I thought you said?!" Tristan exclaimed.

But before Yugi could reply, Rebecca was climbing through to the other side. "Alright, now let's see . . ." She trailed off, just staring at the beauty of the KaibaCorp grounds and buildings as the winter sun began to rise. "Oh. . . ." She swallowed hard and turned away with a shudder.

"Rebecca?" Yugi stepped closer to her. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "It's just . . . it's been so long since I've seen how Domino City used to look. . . . It's so beautiful . . . so innocent and happy. . . . I . . . I miss it." Her voice caught in her throat.

". . . I can't imagine what it's been like for you, seeing how horrible it's ended up," Yugi said. "I could hardly stand it just for the time we were over there. To think of living in that world day after day for 17 years . . . ! You're so strong, Rebecca."

"Strong? Me?" Rebecca wiped at her face and turned back to face Yugi. She sounded lost and alone, like the child she had been when they had first met.

"Of course," Yugi smiled. "You've always been one of the strongest people I've known."

Rebecca managed a smile too. "That's just like you, Yugi."

The rest of the group was coming through the portal now too. Carly brought up the rear, and she let out a loud squeal at the sight. "Ohmygosh! Old Domino City is amazing!" She spread her arms wide.

"It sure is," Téa said. "I can never take it for granted again." And now she was even less sure that she ever wanted to leave, even to study in New York City as she had planned for so long. Everything and everyone she loved was right here. And she had heard about a new, prestigious dance school that was being built in town by a former Broadway star who wanted to teach aspiring dancers. It wouldn't exactly be like studying on Broadway, but . . . maybe that was something she would like to consider, once it was complete. It might be a way to have the best of both worlds.

Serenity smiled at Carly. "Hi," she greeted. "Who are you?"

"Oh! Carly Carmine, a reporter." Carly stared at her. "Are you Serenity Wheeler-Devlin?!"

Serenity went red and Duke quirked an eyebrow. "Um . . . well, just Serenity Wheeler right now," Serenity said. Out of the corner of her eye, she could clearly see Tristan trying to control himself from losing his temper. She sighed to herself. That was not what he needed to hear right now . . . although she couldn't help feeling a thrill at the words. Apparently in Carly's world, she and Duke got married. That was something she hoped would become the case in this world too.

"Oh! Of course!" Carly gave an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of her head. "I'm sorry, I just told you some of your future! I know people really aren't supposed to do that! I mean, I always look at my future, but that's just for today, not years later. . . ."

"In this case, we don't mind," Duke said as he drew an arm around Serenity's shoulders.

Serenity smiled and nodded in agreement. "Definitely."

"Okay!" Rebecca suddenly spoke up. "There'll be time for reminiscing later. Where is this portal-opener?!" Her hands went to her hips.

"It's at the Kaiba Mansion in a safe," Seto replied, his voice clipped. "We'll have to go there."

"Let's do it then," Rebecca said. She headed for the limousine.

"She doesn't seem too different to me," Duke remarked in an undertone as everyone followed.

Yugi chuckled and scratched his cheek.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to MoonlightTyger for helping me to figure out a different way to open a portal near the end! Earlier, the alternate worlds referenced are, in order: manga verse, Reshef of Destruction (a video game), Nightmare Troubadour (another video game), and of course the infamous Toei anime!

The ride to the Kaiba Mansion was tense, except for Carly's enthusiastic exclamations about everything and her excited questions about old Domino City. While others tried to answer her, Téa mostly stayed silent, her hands in her lap.

Seto looked to her after a moment. "I'm surprised you haven't really said anything about this information that we're married in this other dimension," he grunted.

Téa flushed. "Well . . . it sounds like things turned out so sad for us, though," she said. She wrung her hands. "I don't want that to happen here. We should be able to be happy."

"As long as that future doesn't come to pass, we should be," Seto said.

Téa shifted. "You haven't said anything about that detail of our future either," she said. "Does that mean you're . . . okay with it?"

"After everything we've been through, why shouldn't I be?" Seto countered. "But I want it to work out here."

Téa perked up, encouraged. She had worried that Seto was too upset about Mokuba to focus, and that when he did, he would object to the thought of their futures being set in stone. He definitely didn't want to believe that, and yet he was alright with thinking that they became much more seriously involved in the future? Téa smiled. That was more than she could have hoped for.

How strange, that that actually was something she wanted. In the past, it certainly wouldn't have been. She and Seto had come so far. . . .

. . . And so had this other set of them. They shouldn't throw away everything because of the tragedy that had befallen them.

She bit her lip. If anything happened to Mokuba here—Heaven forbid!—would that also end the relationship here? Mokuba would always be the most important person in Seto's life. It was incredible that Seto had let any of them in as much as he had, and that he even felt alright with Téa's feelings for him and the idea that they were married in this other world. But she could never hope to be more important than Mokuba. Would she even want to be, knowing how close the brothers were? She certainly didn't want to come between them.

"This is all pretty heavy, huh?"

She looked up with a start at Mokuba's voice. He was looking at her in all seriousness and sadness.

Téa sighed. "Yeah, it really is. There's so much to take in, and so much hurt and sorrow. . . . I'd like to talk to that other Kaiba, but I know we should probably do all we can here first and try to get back the other you."

Mokuba looked down. "I want that to be possible, Téa, but maybe it's really not. Rebecca's been looking for 17 years. Can we really find something she couldn't in all that time?"

"I don't know." Téa stared out the window at the beautiful sky and trees and buildings. This Domino was so much different from the Satellite sector they had just left. But could she ever get the image of that other Domino out of her mind now? It might always haunt her.

The limousine pulled up in front of the Kaiba Mansion and Seto abruptly got out, heading for the porch. As everyone else followed, Téa held Mokuba back. "Um . . . Mokuba . . . I know this is probably a stupid question, but . . . if anything ever happened to you, do you think your brother would never be able to get over it at all, even if I was here to try to help him?"

Mokuba sighed. "I'd like to say Yes more than anything. I want Seto to be okay no matter what happens to me. But . . . I know it wouldn't be true. No, he could never get better . . . just like I never could if it was him."

Téa sighed sadly. "That's what I thought."

By the time they caught up, everyone was already inside and Seto was opening the safe in his home office. The large group stood around awkwardly as they waited.

"You're the last person I thought would willingly have any magical objects," Rebecca remarked.

"I wouldn't say it's ‘willingly,'" Seto grunted. "I'm holding on to everything we've found because the Pharaoh thought my safe would be the most secure place." He soon found the candle-holder and held it out. "I don't know how this thing works," he said flatly.

Atem took it. "I'll handle it. Thank you, Kaiba."

Carly squealed. "Ooh, this is going to be so amazing! I just hope it works and we can find what happened to the others . . . if, you know, they're not dead. . . ."

Atem took a deep breath and concentrated. The candle-holder began to glow, and as Atem waved it through the air with a crescent motion, time and space rippled and a portal opened.

Rebecca ran towards it. "Can you control what dimension gets opened at all?!"

Atem sighed. "Well, in this case I suggested it open a portal to the alternate dimension we've visited before. We know our counterparts there already, so I thought it might be a good place to start. But if you don't mind, Rebecca, I'll go through alone and speak with the Yugi over there. I opened the portal to land in the Game Shop."

Rebecca stopped running and frowned at him. "Why?"

"You can't deny it will be quite a shock to him when I tell him what we're after," Atem said, "and even more of a shock if you come with me. I'm not positive the Yugi in this dimension has ever met you at all."

". . . Oh." Rebecca stepped back. "Go on then."

Atem nodded in acknowledgement and looked to Yugi. "I'll be back as quickly as possible," he said.

"Okay," Yugi said. "But if that me doesn't know anything, what will we do?"

"Well, I'm certain that if the missing are over there, they would have spoken to Yugi or your grandfather by now," Atem said. "We'll start trying random dimensions if this one doesn't work." He climbed into the portal before anyone could protest.

Another loud silence reigned for a few moments before Carly suddenly broke it. "Um . . . who is he, anyway?" she asked Yugi, who froze.

"Oh. . . . Well, it's a long story," Yugi said with an awkward chuckle.

"I'm sure we have the time," Kalin grunted.

And they definitely did. By the time Atem returned, Yugi and the others had explained all about Atem and his return from the afterlife, as well as some of the other unique features about their dimension. Elated, Carly was writing everything down.

"You're not really gonna try to publish all that, are you?" Joey asked her in disbelief.

"Well . . ." Carly shrugged. "I'll wait and see how everything comes out here first. My editor would probably think I was crazy, but . . . it sure would make a good story."

Yugi's attention was now elsewhere. "Atem!" he exclaimed. ". . . It didn't go well, did it?" He took in his friend's dejected expression.

"Not really," Atem sighed. "That other Yugi has no idea of any such people falling into that world. He wished us luck looking."

"So let's keep going!" Rebecca cried. "There must be countless dimensions! But I'm going with you into the next one!"

Atem just nodded. "Very well."  
****  
The next hours were long, exhausting, and fruitless. The group lost track of how many dimensions they tried, all to no avail, and when at last they collapsed on Seto's couches and chairs in discouragement, most were shaken to varying extents about the oddities they had experienced.

"Can you believe that world where we had to perform in some kiddie show at Kaiba Land?!" Crump exclaimed to his friends.

"It will take me a while to reclaim my dignity just from seeing that," Gansley intoned.

Joey snarked. "Aww, come on! That was awesome! You guys playin' your Deckmaster characters and gettin' clobbered by Kaibaman? . . . Yeah, I see what you mean there." He sank deeper into the couch.

"The kids seemed to like it, though," Nesbitt remarked. "We were either doing it out of desperation for money or for the kids."

Lector smiled a bit. "Nesbitt, you are far more soft-hearted than you want to believe."

"Yeah, and what about that world where you guys were dueling people at Noa's old underwater base?" Mokuba said. "Seto had taken the place over and fixed it up and gave you jobs there."

"Probably on your request, Mokuba," Lector said.

". . . And let's not even talk about the world where Kaiba had green hair," Téa shuddered.

"Let's not," Seto scowled.

Joey shivered. "Those Kaiba brothers are gonna give me nightmares for weeks!" he moaned.

"You're telling me!" Mokuba declared.

"I have enough material now for a whole series of articles," Carly said in exhaustion, "but will my boss like any of it?"

Kalin just shrugged. "You'll just have to ask him."

"But out of all the worlds we saw, none of those people knew anything about my Yugi and the others!" Rebecca wailed. She turned away. "Thank you for trying anyway, but it doesn't look like it's going to work."

Mai scoffed. "There has to be an easier way to go through these places!" she said in frustration. "I don't think we have to give up, but we need to do this more efficiently."

"Oh, and just how are we going to do that?" Tristan scowled.

"If this was the world of the Ninja Turtles, we could invent some kinda device that would scan all the dimensions for specific people," Crump said.

"But it's not," Seto grunted.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know that, Crump," Gansley remarked.

Crump shrugged. "Hey, it was a fun show," he defended. "The 1980s were great for kids' TV!"

Lector chuckled softly. No one was about to point out that Crump had already been an adult during that decade.

No one that is, except Rebecca. "Why were you watching kids' TV?" she snorted.

"You know, one lesson you've never learned is that growing up doesn't mean you havta stop enjoying some things," Crump said. "Honestly, sometimes kids' TV is better than anything else that's on!"

Rebecca wasn't impressed. "But you're an intellectual, an accountant, an environmentalist, and a researcher into cultures of the world!" she protested.

"You know how many kids' TV shows have environmental messages?" Crump smirked.

Rebecca threw up her hands in disgust. "You're hopeless!"

Crump just laughed. "So are you!"

A knock on the door brought everyone's attention up.

"Now who the heck could that be?" Joey blinked.

Seto's maid Velma soon appeared at the doorway with two green-haired children, one with pig-tails and one with a ponytail. "Um . . . I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Kaiba, but these little ones said they havta see you and all your friends. . . ."

Mokuba blinked. These kids looked around the same age as him.

Seto quirked an eyebrow. "Who . . ."

Carly leaped to her feet. "Luna!" she exclaimed.

"They're from your world?!" Joey stared.

The pig-tailed Luna gave an awkward wave. "Hi. . . . I hope you won't think I'm crazy, Mr. Kaiba, but . . ."

"This is so amazing!" the boy, who looked enough like her to be her twin, burst out. "We're actually standing in the Kaiba Mansion! Can you believe it, Sis?! When have we ever got to get into the Kaiba Mansion in our world?! Let alone to actually see Mr. Kaiba?!" He looked to Seto. "Can I have your autograph?!"

"Leo!" Luna scolded in dismay.

Seto got to his feet. "What's this all about?" he demanded. "Why did you want to see me? I hope it was about more than getting my autograph."

"A lot more," Luna insisted. "You see, I . . . I can communicate with the Duel Monsters Spirit World. . . . The leader, Ancient Fairy Dragon, was a prisoner for a really long time, and Leo and I finally set her free. Now that she's been able to look around her world again, she realized something else wasn't right. She contacted me last night while I was sleeping and told me to come talk to all of you about it. . . ."

"Duel Monsters Spirit World?" Yugi blinked. "Ancient Fairy Dragon? I thought Dark Magician Girl ruled the Duel Monsters' realm. . . ."

"Well, there's different regions," Luna explained. "Ancient Fairy Dragon rules another region."

"I've never even heard of that Duel Monster," Yugi said in surprise.

"And . . . Spirit World?!" Joey trembled. "Do you havta be a spirit to go there?!"

"No, not always," Luna said. "I've gone there body and soul sometimes."

"Let's get to the point," Seto grunted, folding his arms. "What was so important that Ancient Pixie Dragon wanted you to come to me?"

"Ancient Fairy Dragon," Luna corrected. "She said she'd found several residents of my world in her world, but she isn't sure how to get them back home!"

Rebecca spun around. "What?!" she cried. Hope flashed in her eyes. "All this time we've been looking in other human dimensions, but my Yugi is in a monster dimension?!"

"We don't know for certain who's being talked about," Gansley cautioned her.

"Well, she talked to them and they said they'd been there since the reactor exploded," Luna said slowly. "There's four humans and a cat."

"What?!" Yami Bakura snorted. "As if the cat would still be alive all these years later! She would have been getting on in years when they fell through the dimension rip!"

Bakura held Oreo on his lap and stroked the soft fur. "It was really her? Did they age over there at all?"

"They'd aged," Luna said. "The cat had been given some kind of magical amulet to live longer because she was pure in heart."

Bakura smiled. "That's wonderful!"

Oreo merowed in approval.

Now Seto and Mokuba were at attention as well. "So it's actually true?!" Seto exclaimed. "The other Mokuba is alive?!"

"And the other Yugi?!" Atem quickly added.

"How on Earth do we get them out?!" Bakura cried.

"Well . . . I might be able to do it," Luna said. "But I need the help of everyone who has magic. . . . I've never been able to actually open portals to there before; I just get taken there."

"What about the portal-opener?" Joey frowned. "Why wouldn't that work?"

"This is a different kind of dimension," Luna said. "It's not a regular one. It usually really is a Spirit World, so it's kind of an afterlife plane. It's pretty rare for anyone to be there body and soul."

"So it's really the Duel Monsters' afterlife?" Yugi realized.

"I guess you could call it that," Luna said.

Rebecca frowned. "You're sure they're really alive there?! What if they just got sent to the wrong afterlife for some stupid reason?!"

"They're alive," Luna promised.

"Well, everyone who uses magic is right here," Yugi said. "Why don't we try to open it now?"

That was quickly agreed to, and while Luna concentrated, Atem, Yami Bakura, Seto, and the Big Five all focused on activating their magical objects. But no matter how they tried, nothing happened.

"Aurgh!" Joey finally yelled, messing up his hair. "It's not working! Why isn't it working?!"

Luna hesitated. "Well . . . Ancient Fairy Dragon said the one called Yami Bakura told her to get everyone connected with them who use magic, but she didn't actually say she only meant here. . . ."

Atem stared. "He may have meant everyone in your world?"

Luna nodded. "Ancient Fairy Dragon told me about the open portal to this world and said I should come over, but I wonder if what we need is both sets of you using your objects. . . ."

"And Yami Bakura and the Duel Monsters using their magic from the other side?" Atem mused. "Perhaps people on both sides of the portal have to be trying at the same time for this to work, when it's such a unique circumstance."

"Oh wow," Yugi cringed. "It's going to be really hard to get everybody together . . . especially the other Kaiba. . . ."

"Well, we have to try!" Mokuba exclaimed. "Let's go back over there and find the other Big Five and Seto! Maybe Seto will come out if he hears me!"

"Or he might think it's a cruel trick," Tristan cautioned.

"I probably would," Seo said. "But if I realized it wasn't, I would absolutely come out to see Mokuba . . . even one that wasn't mine."

"So we're also going to finally meet the Seto Kaiba in our world?!" Leo spoke up. "This is going to be incredible!"

"It's not a pleasure trip, Leo," Luna scolded.

"If we can help bring back his Mokuba, it'll be a big pleasure!" Leo insisted.

"Well, I can't argue with logic like that," Téa smiled.

As everyone headed for the front doors, Luna weaved her way around to Kalin. "Kalin!" she greeted with a smile. She sobered as she continued, "Why did you stop writing?" When the Dark Signers had been restored to life, it had been Luna who had interacted with Kalin for a few moments. At first he had kept in touch with her after he had left, on her request, but after only a couple of messages, the notes had stopped.

Kalin looked down at her. "I thought it was better if I stopped. I'm not the kind of person you should have for a friend."

"You're a good person!" Luna insisted. "And Yusei really misses you."

Kalin's eyes flickered slightly. "Does he understand why I can't come back?"

Luna frowned. "He knows why you feel you can't," she said. "But he doesn't feel the same way."

Kalin sighed. "Let's forget about my problems for a while. We need to see what can be done about this mess."

"I know, but . . . I wish we could see about your problem too," Luna said with a sigh of her own.

"I don't know how to see about my problem," Kalin replied. "These people have been trying to help me too, but . . ." He shook his head.

"You just feel too bad about yourself," Luna finished.

"Yes, that's accurate," Kalin said in some surprise. He hadn't expected a young child to be so insightful, but then again, Luna was a Signer. She had been picked for a reason.

By now everyone was outside and crowding into the limousine. Joey scowled as he was shoved up against the inside of the door. "Hey, you think maybe we should take two cars back to the portal?" he said.

"Works for me," Crump said.

Téa looked to the twins. "You two really walked a long way to get to Kaiba's house from the portal," she said in concern.

Leo nodded. "And a long way to get to the portal from our house! But it had to be done."

"Yes," Luna said softly in agreement. "It did." She stared out the window. "I just hope we can help about this problem. . . ."

"I'm sure you can," Téa told her. "You've already helped! We never would have known where to go if you hadn't came."

Luna smiled a bit. "Then I'm glad we did."


	9. Chapter 9

Serenity sighed as the groups headed back to the portal. They had decided on taking two limousines, and Tristan had opted to ride with the group that didn't include Serenity and Duke. It was all too obvious why.

"There hasn't really been a chance to talk about it, but Tristan's obviously upset about what we learned about us," she said quietly to Duke, who was twirling a piece of hair around his finger.

"I know," Duke frowned. "It seems like there's always a setback just when we think things are better." He looked to where Carly was happily talking with Yugi. "I wonder if we should ask her if Tristan's always iffy about us being married in her world."

"I'd like to hope he could get used to it," Serenity said. She sighed. "But maybe he never can. I always thought of Tristan as a brother, and at first I didn't realize he felt differently about me, but then I knew and I felt badly for him."

"Yeah." Duke stared off into the distance. If their positions had been reversed, could he have handled things any better? He had always had so many girls hanging around him, unlike Tristan, but they had been shallow and he had never been serious about any of them. Not until Serenity had come along. If he had not been able to have her, he very well might have felt bitter and discouraged.

"We'll have to talk to Tristan when this is over," Serenity said. "Or we could talk to him when we're in Rebecca's van again, but it would probably be better not to talk about it while all this is going on. . . ."

Duke fully agreed. There was too much of a danger that Tristan would make a scene. They really didn't want that around their new friends.

"I wonder if we're really going to get to bring back the missing people," Serenity said. "It seems almost too good to be true that they really are alive, but we have experienced miraculous things like that before. . . ."

Duke nodded. "It really sounds like this other dimension is going to experience some of that . . . if we can figure out how to get the portal open. But if Luna can be transported there and back, I wonder why this Ancient Fairy Dragon can't do that with these people."

"Maybe that would take more strength than she has, when there's four of them and Oreo?" Serenity suggested.

"Maybe," Duke said noncommittally. "Or maybe things aren't exactly what they seem. Doesn't it seem a little too perfect to suddenly find someone who knows about everyone being missing and where they are? She came to us, even!"

Serenity sighed. "I'd rather think it really is real," she said. "I don't like to question it."

"Sometimes things have to be questioned, though," Duke said. "Otherwise, you could get duped by every creep that comes along."

"I can't think that little girl would be like that," Serenity frowned.

"Maybe not her, but what about this Ancient Fairy Dragon?" Duke countered. "None of us know anything about that card! How do we know it's benevolent?"

"I know."

They looked to Kalin with a start as he spoke. He had been sitting quietly in the back, not speaking.

"So what's the deal with it?" Crump asked.

"She's one of the dragons that helped fight against the Dark Signers when they originally emerged 5,000 years ago," Kalin said. "She's a servant of the Crimson Dragon, who stands for righteousness and light."

"The Dark Signers have been comin' out for that long?!" Crump exclaimed.

"Technically, they can only come out every 5,000 years," Kalin said. "But I will never not wish that I hadn't accepted the mantle when they came this time."

"Yeah . . . we all get that," Crump said. "We sure wish we hadn't done a lot of the garbage we pulled either."

"But we're all grateful for the second chance we were given," Lector said.

Kalin stared out the window. "After everything you did, how do you even feel worthy of it?"

"I usually don't," Nesbitt grunted. "But when I have it, I don't want to waste it."

The cars pulled up at the KaibaCorp grounds and everyone started to get out. Kalin still looked thoughtful from the Big Five's words and didn't speak further. Luna led the way to the portal, looking around longingly at the beautiful Domino City as she did. "I wish we didn't have to go so soon," she lamented, "but we really don't have time to explore."

"Maybe after all of this is resolved, you can come back and celebrate Christmas with us," Téa suggested. "We were going to have our annual party tomorrow night. You're all welcome to come."

"Seriously?!" Leo stared in awe. "And there'll be lots of good food?!"

"Of course," Téa said, laughing. "The food is always Joey's and Tristan's favorite part. Bakura's too."

"Alright!" Leo pumped the air. "We are so coming, Sis!"

Luna started to smile. "Yeah. . . . We should do that." She climbed through the portal, still smiling to herself.

"So who's all going this time?" Joey wondered. "Some of us are staying back again, right?"

"I guess so," Serenity said slowly, "although I'd really like to see when the dimensional rift opens and everyone gets to be together again. . . ."

"Oh what the heck, let's all go," Crump said. "We've got the portal-opener, if we need it."

"And just how will you all fit?" Rebecca frowned.

"It looked like your van had enough room to rival a bus!" Crump countered.

Rebecca smirked a bit. "Well, I do have the best industrial model. I wanted plenty of room for anything and anyone I needed to bring on my tests."

Tristan frowned. "If it's as bad over there as you're all saying, Serenity shouldn't have to see that."

"It's okay, Tristan," Serenity said kindly. "I can take it."

"Yeah, but . . ." Tristan protested.

"It's Serenity's decision," Duke pointedly interrupted. "She doesn't need people deciding for her."

Not wanting an argument to break out, and just wanting to get on with what they needed to do, everyone else started to follow Luna through the portal. They wanted to focus solely on Rebecca's van, but it was impossible not to take in some of the devastation and destruction from Zero Reverse. It was all around them, chilling them to the bone.

Solomon gasped under his breath. All the knowledge in the world of what he would see didn't prepare him for the actual sight of it. "Yugi . . . that other poor Yugi. . . . He was caught in all this. . . ."

Yugi laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know, Grampa. It's awful. But we're going to get that other me back. . . ."

Solomon shakily nodded. "I hope so. . . ."

Bakura was also horrified. "Oh . . . !" He clutched Oreo close to him and she meowed, not liking the scene either. It only felt unnaturally cold.

Serenity couldn't refrain from a gasp. "Oh . . . ! This is worse than anything I could have imagined," she exclaimed.

"You see?!" Tristan snapped at Duke.

Duke looked horrified by everything as well. But he turned away, drawing an arm around Serenity's shoulders. "Let's get to the van."

Serenity shakily nodded. "We've got a job to do."

A strange mist began to rise from the ground as they walked.

"The spirits are becoming annoyed that we keep coming back," Yami Bakura remarked.

Oreo yowled.

"Or maybe they're upset that anybody escaped through that dimensional rift when they all died," Crump gulped.

"They probably are," Luna said softly.

"Let's get out of here!" Leo exclaimed.

Everyone crowded into the van, which by now was absolutely full to capacity. Rebecca sped off, soon arriving at the bridge and crossing over it.

Carly wildly waved her hand. "My car's still there!" she announced. "Maybe some of us should get out and follow you there?"

"Yes, do that," Seto grunted. With not quite enough room even in Rebecca's industrial and futuristic model for the entire group, Mokuba was on his lap, Luna and Leo were sharing a seat, and Yugi had somehow ended up on Kalin's lap. Solomon and Marik were on the floor.

Rebecca pulled over to the curb. "How many people does your car seat?" she asked.

"Um . . . five, if I'm lucky," Carly said.

"Great," Rebecca said. "Just make sure to really follow me. And we'll keep in touch on our phones." After a quick exchange of numbers, Carly loaded her car with passengers and both vehicles set out again.

"So, who are we getting first?" Rebecca brusquely asked. "The Big Five or Kaiba?"

"Getting the other uses would probably be easier," Crump said. "And they'd probably have their own transport, so we could divide up into more vehicles."

"How is this Big Five's relationship with Mr. Kaiba?" Gansley asked. "Did they repair the problems between them?"

"Yeah, they did," Rebecca said. "There won't be any trouble about that."

"Good to know," Crump said. "But I wonder if pretty much everything happened the same here except for the Pharaoh apparently not coming back. . . ."

"Oh, I'm sure some other things have been different," Rebecca said.

"Yeah, I hate to think how Joey and Tristan had trouble with Mr. Kaiba after the explosion," Serenity frowned. "They must not have gotten as close as they did in our world. Mr. Kaiba even nearly died trying to save Joey. . . ."

"I'm pretty sure that didn't happen," Rebecca said. "Although even if it did, that wouldn't mean things couldn't go wrong later."

"I'd rather think it wouldn't," Serenity said.

Nesbitt looked to Kalin. "You were surprised when you found we were all staying at the same house. Do we not do that here?"

"No, you do," Kalin said. "I just didn't know you'd started it that long ago."

"Maybe here we didn't," Crump shrugged. "But okay, so if we're doin' that here, we could be at any of five places! . . . And what about Penguin World?! Did we build that here?"

"And did it survive the explosion?" Gansley frowned.

"Penguin World is thriving in New Domino City," Rebecca said. "It did survive the explosion, although it sustained some damage to some of the rides and the midway was temporarily shut down while those were repaired. All the penguins were okay."

"Well, that's a relief," Crump sighed. "Hey, is George still around?"

"Yes," Rebecca said, "and still jumping on Nesbitt's lap."

Joey blinked. "Are you serious?! But it's been 30 years!"

"Emperor Penguins can live up to 50 years in captivity," Rebecca recited, as if reading from a textbook.

Lector chuckled at Joey's expression. "So am I right to assume that you're at least somewhat close to us?" he asked Rebecca.

"Nesbitt has been trying to help me find the dimensional rift," Rebecca said. "Naturally it's somewhat out of his line of expertise, but things have changed a lot. He's been building machines to try to detect anomalies in the space-time continuum."

". . . Yeah, that's pretty different, alright," Crump blinked.

Nesbitt grunted. He could hardly say it was nonsense after all this, but it still sounded strange for him to be creating such things.

"All of you were at his house last night, so that's where we'll try first," Rebecca said.

"I guess the original rich part of town stayed here in New Domino City, didn't it?" Yugi realized.

"Yes," Rebecca said. "Some homes were damaged by the earthquake the explosion caused, but almost everything was rebuilt."

"‘Almost'?" Téa blinked.

"Kaiba never repaired the damage to the Kaiba Mansion," Rebecca said.

"What?!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"That's so sad," Serenity frowned.

The neighborhoods they were passing were growing increasingly wealthy, with spacious homes and garages that became larger and more numerous the farther they went. At last things began to look familiar, and when Rebecca pulled up in front of the alternate Nesbitt's house, Nesbitt was gratified to find that he recognized it.

". . . So, is there anything we should know before we meet these guys?" Joey asked. "You know, so we won't be too surprised or something."

"Yeah, and blurt something stupid," Tristan added.

"I didn't say that!" Joey boomed.

"No, but I did," Tristan countered.

Rebecca was already leaning out the window to press the intercom button. "They're pretty much the same, really," she said. "Hey, it's me," she said into the intercom. "I need to talk to all of you right now. I have some visitors with me. It's kind of hard to explain."

The intercom crackled. "Fine," another Nesbitt grunted. "Come in."

"Wow," Crump said. "If that's not surreal."

The large gates creaked open. Rebecca drove in and up the winding driveway, parking by the garage. She was out in an instant, shutting the door after her. "Alright, I'll go up first, by myself, and try to prepare them for the shock," she said.

The garage was already opening. The alternate Nesbitt was standing there, clad in jeans and a work shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair was still dark brown, but a bit streaked with gray. Otherwise, he scarcely looked 71.

"We must have Atlantean blood in this world too," Crump said. "It's nice to see how it's workin'!"

Nesbitt quirked an eyebrow but nodded in approval.

The alternate Nesbitt's gruff expression softened as Rebecca came over to him. "What was so urgent?" he asked.

"Well . . ." Rebecca half-turned and gestured back at the van. "There's been some really big developments in our quest for alternate dimensions. Right now there's currently a portal open in the Satellite, and it led to an alternate Domino City from thirty years ago."

The alternate Nesbitt stiffened. "WHAT?!"

"There's other versions of you and the others in my van, along with . . . others," Rebecca said. "And that's just for openers."

Deciding that was a good cue, Crump opened the door and got out. "Hey," he said with a wave.

The alternate Nesbitt just gawked at him. ". . . Hello," he said slowly.

Carly pulled up just then, breaking the awkward moment. "Hi!" she greeted. "I'm Carly Carmine, a reporter. I'm covering this story."

The alternate Nesbitt didn't look impressed. "You must have a very open-minded boss," he flatly commented.

Carly gave an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of her head. "Well . . . not really."

". . . Can we all just come inside?" Rebecca asked. "We need to talk with all of you, in private."

The alternate Nesbitt nodded. "Yeah, sure. Come on." He walked across the garage to the door leading into the house.

The large group trailed after him, taking in the workbenches and various projects in assorted stages of completion. Nesbitt was especially fascinated by what looked like an elongated robot torso on one of the benches, but he had no chance to ask about it before they were all inside and the rest of the alternate Big Five was standing in the hallway to greet them.

"I don't know how to explain this," the alternate Nesbitt said to them. "There's other versions of us from an alternate Domino City, thirty years younger. . . ."

His friends were gawking now, but the alternate Lector swiftly tried to shake off his bewilderment and just bowed in politeness. "Welcome to our home," he said. As he straightened, he caught sight of Mokuba and wavered. "M-Mokuba?!" The color drained from his tanned skin and he almost looked faint. Gasping, the alternate Crump and Johnson reached to steady him.

Mokuba came forward, smiling sadly at his friend. "Hi, Lector. . . . I'm sorry I'm not the Mokuba you knew, but the good news is, we've come to tell you you can get him back. The others too!"

"W-What?!" Politeness forgotten, the alternate Lector just stared at the boy and then up at the rest. "Is this true?!"

"Yes, it is," Luna said. "We'll explain everything."

"Please do," the alternate Gansley growled. He looked the oldest of the group, which he was at age 90, but he still seemed of completely sound mind, to his counterpart's relief.

Now everyone was led into the large living room. When they were all settled, the long explanation began. The alternate Big Five listened, absolutely stymied, and asked many questions. By the time everything was finally straight, nearly another hour had passed.

". . . Wow," the alternate Crump said at the conclusion. He sank back into the couch.

"You believe it, don't you?" Luna pleaded.

"It's a great deal to take in, to say the least," the alternate Johnson said. "But it's highly unlikely it's all being made up. Yes, we believe you."

"And now we have to get Kaiba onboard?" The alternate Crump just shook his head. "Good luck with that!"

Mokuba bit his lip. "But . . . won't he believe us too?"

"I most certainly hope so, Mokuba," the alternate Lector said. He still looked like he wondered if he was living in a dream himself.

"Let's go right now and try!" Mokuba leaped up and hurried to the door, then looked back at the others. "Are you with me?"

"Of course." The alternate Lector pushed himself up and walked over to the boy, his sky-blue eyes filled with wonder. "Mokuba, you don't know what it does to me to see you again after so long . . . even though you're a Mokuba from 30 years ago. . . ."

Mokuba looked up at this other version of the man he loved so dearly as his and Seto's former caretaker and current friend. This Lector was 75, but he still seemed the same. Mokuba smiled and leaned in, hugging him close. "I think I know," he said softly. "Sometimes I've thought you were dead too. . . ."

The alternate Lector's eyes filled with surprise. Then he smiled, holding the child close. "We've been through so much, haven't we."

"I guess that's something that never changes no matter what dimension we're in," Mokuba said.

Téa brushed aside a happy tear. "Okay, guys. Let's go talk to the other Kaiba so we can get everybody home!" she declared.

Everyone fully agreed and they headed outside. As had been thought, the alternate Big Five provided a limousine and the group divided three ways. Those riding with Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief as more space was freed.

It wasn't a long drive to the Kaiba Mansion, but as they approached, the alternate Lector looked to both Mokuba and Seto in apologetic concern. "I am sorry for what you are about to see," he said. "I am afraid it's going to be an unpleasant surprise."

Mokuba looked down. "Rebecca said the other Seto didn't fix the damage," he said quietly.

"No, he didn't," the alternate Lector said.

"We even offered to do it for him," the alternate Nesbitt grunted.

Seto was looking at something else. He drew a sharp intake of breath. "What . . . !"

Mokuba looked up with a start. "No. . . ." The wall around the mansion was badly cracked. Some of the bricks were even missing. As they reached the gate, the house beyond also bore cracks in the edifice. Several windows were boarded. The walkway was cracked as well.

"What does it look like inside?" Seto frowned.

"There's a huge crack in the basement floor," the alternate Crump said. "You . . . well, the other you . . . just put a big rug over it."

"There are cracks all over the walls," the alternate Johnson said. "And I believe some parts of the attic roof started to leak."

"The only thing Mr. Kaiba made sure of was that your room was renewed, Mokuba," the alternate Lector said. "He couldn't stand for it to be damaged."

Mokuba looked down. "Poor Seto. . . ."

The alternate Lector sighed and leaned out the window to press the intercom button. "This is Démas Lector," he announced. "I need to speak with Mr. Kaiba."

An awkward pause. "You know he never wants to see anybody anymore, Mr. Lector . . . unless it's on company business, and very little of that. . . ."

Mokuba looked down. This Velma sounded completely worn-out.

"I'm afraid this is quite urgent," the alternate Lector said. "You know that Nesbitt has been trying to help Mrs. Hawkins-Muto find a portal to an alternate dimension. Well, such a portal has opened, and other versions of some of us have come through. There's an alternate Mokuba."

Velma gasped. "Mr. Kaiba will never believe it!"

"Would you tell him anyway, please? There's more; it seems there's a way to reach our Mokuba and the others, but we need Mr. Kaiba's help." The alternate Lector leaned worriedly on the wall.

"I . . . I'll tell him," Velma stammered.

"Don't bother," came another voice.

Mokuba gasped. It was hardened and cold, but there was no doubt about it—it was Seto's voice. His Seto narrowed his eyes. The alternate him sounded absolutely immovable.

"Seto, it's really true," Mokuba tried to say. "It's all true!"

"Fairy tales," the alternate Seto snorted. "Or my imagination. You're not really here. I always hear you up and down the halls, in every room, but you're never there when I get there! I'm tired of believing what I hear. My mind isn't reliable anymore!"

Tears pricked Mokuba's eyes. "Oh Seto. . . ."

His Seto gripped his shoulder. "This actually is real," he said.

A scoff. "Don't you think I could dream up a scenario like this for myself? I know what the Big Five have been working on. I could all so easily imagine it turning out right!"

"You're not, Seto!" Mokuba cried in desperation. "You're not! Please just take the chance one more time and come out!"

"No. I can't do this again." The intercom went dead. An uncomfortable silence filled the air.

Finally the alternate Crump exhaled loudly, looking awkward. ". . . Well, this isn't gonna be easy, is it?"

Nesbitt folded his arms. "Things have been coming to us too easily. Of course something would go wrong!"

Leo groaned and propped himself up on the wall with an elbow. "But . . . if we can't even get in to see him, what are we gonna do?"

Mokuba looked undaunted. "I might not know this specific Seto, but I think some things are universally true about all of them. I'm going to get in to see him! And when I do, I'm sure I can get him to listen to me!"

Leo's eyes filled with uncertainty. "I hope you're right. . . ."

Luna smiled. "I'm sure he is. After all, we know all about siblings having special bonds. Right?"

Leo finally smiled too. "Right."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited this chapter and added some descriptions to the basement scene on MoonlightTyger's suggestion.

Mokuba's plan began with walking the length of the wall and searching for breaks. He wasn't surprised to find one around the backyard. Several more bricks were missing, having fallen through to the snow on the other side. "Here!" He squirmed through the small hole and onto the property, then turned to look back out at the others. "Sorry, though. . . . I don't think too many of us will fit. . . ."

"Probably only me and Leo, and maybe Yugi," Luna said slowly.

"It might be better if I'm alone anyway," Mokuba said.

"Are you sure?" Luna said in concern. "Maybe I should come so I could explain about Ancient Fairy Dragon. . . ."

"I could help too!" Leo said.

Mokuba bit his lip. "I don't know. . . . Maybe you could come, but stay in the background?"

Luna smiled. "We could do that."

"We'll wait out here," Yugi said as the other kids climbed through the hole. "Just let us know how things are going."

Mokuba nodded. "We will!" He paused, looking back out at the alternate Lector. "Oh . . . does this Seto have any alarms or security systems going at all?"

The alternate Lector sighed. "Not like he used to. He wants to keep the paparazzi out, of course, but I don't think you'll run into any trouble going through the backyard."

"We'll take the secret route into the basement," Mokuba said. "Do you know if the supercomputer is still running?"

"Yeah, it is," the alternate Nesbitt said. "Kaiba probably talks more to it than to any people."

"How sad," Luna said.

Mokuba's eyes narrowed in determination. "I won't give up until he talks to me and knows I'm really here," he vowed. "Let's go." He started off into the trees.

"Good luck," Yugi said in concern. He looked torn. He might be able to fit through the hole too, but he wondered if Seto would be more or less receptive if he was along.

"Why don't you go with them, Yugi?" Solomon asked. "Your counterpart was also lost in this tragedy. It might help this Kaiba even more if you're there as well."

"Maybe," Yugi said slowly. "But what if it makes him just think all the more that he's losing his mind?"

"It could go either way," Seto admitted. "If it was me, though, the second witness might help."

Yugi took a deep breath. "Okay then. I'll go."

Atem gave him an encouraging smile and watched as he scrambled through the opening and hurried after the kids.

". . . There was another reason why I wanted Yugi to go," Seto said when he was sure they were out of hearing range.

"Why's that?" Téa frowned as she looked up at him. Somehow she didn't like the way he had said that.

"I don't know that I trust this other me." Seto gripped his arms.

Lector jerked. "You don't mean you think he might harm Mokuba?!"

"Even under these circumstances, would he really?!" Marik stared at Seto and then back at the wall. If there was any possibility of danger, some more of them needed to get inside! But the top of the wall looked electrically charged and there didn't seem to be any other openings where someone could fit.

"If he completely lost his mind believing he was being haunted by phantoms, I don't know what he might do," Seto said. "I don't think I could even harm what I thought was just a fake Mokuba, but some of these alternate mes we've encountered were more than willing to harm the real one!" He clenched a fist.

Lector opted not to remind Seto about when he, too, had harmed the real one—the very thing that had been the main fuel for Lector's outrage against him. Seto could insist all he wanted that the attack on Mokuba had to be real to throw Gozaburo off the real plan, but Lector would never not think there would have been another way.

"If I may say so, Mr. Kaiba, I don't feel that the one here would be capable of that," the alternate Lector said. "Mokuba was his whole world. Without him, our Seto Kaiba completely crumbled. He isn't violent, just heartbroken."

"You'd better be right," Seto growled. "If he thinks it's all in his mind, what would really stop him from throwing things at Mokuba in a mad fury to make him go away?"

"What would stop you from doing that?" the alternate Lector returned.

Seto stared off at the once-proud Kaiba Mansion. "He's my brother," he said quietly. "I couldn't throw something at him and see how he would look if I did. I couldn't . . . not again. . . ." Although Lector had tactfully not mentioned the past, it was on Seto's mind as well.

The alternate Lector nodded in agreement. "This Mr. Kaiba will feel the same," he insisted.

****

Mokuba weaved among the trees until he came to a spot he had memorized in his own world. Brushing away the snow soon revealed a trapdoor in the ground. He grabbed it and hauled it up, much to Leo's delight. "He has a secret entrance to the house?! This is so awesome!"

Mokuba had to smirk. "Wait till you see the rest of the house. Come on!" He started down the steps. The others followed, with Yugi bringing up the rear.

"What are you planning to do, Mokuba?" Yugi asked. "Are you going to try talking to the supercomputer and see if she has any advice?"

"Maybe," Mokuba said. "Or maybe we should just go on upstairs and look for Seto. I'd rather find him then for him to find us down here."

"Good point," Yugi winced.

Leo was fascinated as it was by the extensive library at the bottom of the stairs. "Have you read all of these books?!" he asked. The safety lights were on, as always—bright enough to see to walk without bumping into things, but too dim for reading or for seeing into the heavy shadows cast by the large bookcases.

"No," Mokuba said, "but it looks like Seto's been reading a lot." He frowned. "I wonder if that's what he does all day, every day."

"Oh, don't forget about the big crack in the floor," Luna exclaimed. "It just has that rug over it!"

"Oh yeah." Mokuba looked at the floor as they walked. "I wonder where it is, and how wide it is. . . ."

"Hopefully not wide enough for someone to fall through," Yugi said in concern.

Almost as if on cue, Mokuba stepped down on what he thought was part of the carpet. Instead it gave way, revealing it was the rug as the boy plunged downward. "It is!" he shrieked in horror. He only barely managed to grab onto the edge with his hands. "And I don't know how deep it is!" The gap wasn't much wider than Mokuba himself, and although he likely could have pulled himself up if he were calm, his panic made that nigh unto impossible.

"Oh my gosh!" Luna ran over, taking hold of one of Mokuba's wrists. Leo and Yugi scrambled to his other side and grabbed him too.

"We've got ya," Leo said, his eyes wide as saucers.

"Don't let go!" Mokuba cried.

"We won't, Mokuba," Yugi assured him. "Okay, everyone, pull!"

"What's going on down here?!"

Everyone looked up as the light snapped on overhead. The alternate Seto was standing on the stairs, staring at all of them in utter disbelief. His light skin was turning unnaturally pale.

"Seto!" Mokuba looked to him. "I'm falling through this crack you left in the floor!"

"No, you're not!" the alternate Seto spat. "You're not even here!" But even as he spoke, he wavered and took a step down. No matter how he told himself it was a delusion, he couldn't resist the sight of a Mokuba in trouble.

"Kaiba, he really is here," Yugi said. "I am too!" Getting an idea, he continued, "You have a chance to save Mokuba! Don't pass it by! Come here and help us pull him up!"

"We can manage," Leo started to say, but Luna elbowed him.

The alternate Seto reached the bottom of the stairs and just kept staring. "You can't be real," he objected again. "You're not a kid anymore!"

"This version of me is!" Mokuba squealed. "I'm from another dimension, Seto! I came in here to talk to you!"

Luna's grasp started to slip and Mokuba gasped as he slid down further again. "Seto, help!"

The alternate Seto came to life. He ran over, snatching both of Mokuba's wrists and pulling him up all in one motion. Then he collapsed to his knees, hugging the boy close to him as he shook. "Mokuba," he choked out over and over. "Mokuba. . . ." The unthinkable happened—silent tears slipped from his eyes.

"Seto," Mokuba whispered. Seto never cried. Now Mokuba was crying too, and he hugged the alternate Seto around the neck as they continued to kneel there.

Yugi stepped back with a touched smile. "I think we got through to him now," he said quietly to the twins.

"I hope so," Luna said.

Finally the alternate Seto pulled back, brushing the hair away from Mokuba's face as he stared into his brother's eyes. Saving a Mokuba had indeed been a form of personal redemption for him, as Yugi had hoped, and now he was ready to listen to the incredible story. "You're . . . really from another dimension?" he asked.

"Yeah," Mokuba nodded. "But we came to help you get your Mokuba back! He's not dead! He really did fall into another dimension . . . just not any that we were thinking of."

The alternate Seto slowly shook his head. "That still just sounds so preposterous, like a dream or a fantasy movie. Not reality."

"We'll explain everything," Luna said. "But we need all the magic users to help us."

"I'm not a magic user anymore," the alternate Seto said.

"I know you don't want to be anymore," Mokuba said, "but you'd get out your ring to save your Mokuba, wouldn't you?"

"I don't have it," was the reply.

"WHAT?!" Mokuba and Yugi cried in horror.

"But Shadi said no one else could wield the rings except the chosen users!" Yugi said.

"I know. But I gave mine to Téa anyway," the alternate Seto said. "I didn't want it and I told her to take it with her to New York."

Leo grimaced. "Um, uh oh. We've got another problem. . . ."

Luna couldn't deny it. But, always practical, she looked to the tired businessman and said, "Can't you just call her and tell her you need it back?"

"I need her back," came the muttered response.

"Then tell her, Kaiba," Yugi pleaded. "Tell her and ask her to bring the ring, that it's urgent."

"Couldn't you just go get her with that candle-holder?" Leo wondered.

"I don't know," Yugi said hesitantly. "It opens portals to other dimensions. I'm not sure it could open a portal to somewhere else in this dimension."

The alternate Seto straightened. "I'll call her," he said. "I can't guarantee she'll come, but I'll try."

"Great!" Mokuba beamed.

"She'll come," Yugi assured the man. "Téa is always very understanding and forgiving. I'm sure that's the same in this dimension too."

"Probably," the alternate Seto agreed.

****

Before calling New York, the alternate Seto opened the gate to allow all the group entrance to the mansion. They walked in, relieved that Mokuba really had gotten through to him. As they stepped into the entryway, Mokuba hurried over to them.

"So what's up?" Crump asked. "Is he gonna use his ring so we can do this?"

"Well . . ." Mokuba shifted. "There's another problem. He was totally serious about not being a magic user anymore. He gave his ring to Téa, so now he has to call her about it."

"Oh man!" Joey threw up his hands in frustration. "Things were goin' so well. Now we can't catch a break?!"

"Things are still going well," Seto insisted. "Mokuba got through to the other me. I'm sure Téa will still have the ring."

"Yeah, but maybe she'll be performing in a play or something and he won't be able to reach her!" Joey shot back.

"He's gone in his home office to try now," Yugi said. "All we can do is wait and see."

Joey folded his arms and muttered under his breath.

Kalin walked off near the window to stare out at the damaged yard. The disrepair was minor compared to what was in Satellite, but it was still hard for those who knew this place to see it like this.

On the other hand . . . what kind of damage had the Seto of this world done to his marriage? Would his Téa really be as forgiving as Yugi thought? Some things were just too terrible to go back from, no matter what one's reasons or motivations were. And if she wouldn't forgive him, would she still bring the ring? They might have to go get it from her.

"What's on your mind?"

He looked up at the slightly gruff voice. Rebecca had come over and was eyeing him with an unreadable expression.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I still don't really get who you are and why you're around," Rebecca said. "So you were trying to help guide the others, but then they found me, someone who actually knew them . . . or some version of them. You could have left then, but you've stayed."

"I don't really know why." Kalin turned away again. "They spoke of redemption, but I don't think I'll find that here. Maybe I'm staying to see if everything works out alright for them. I'd like to know."

"Or maybe you're staying because they want you to and you don't want to disappoint them, even though you can't understand why they want you around?" Rebecca suggested.

"Maybe," Kalin said. He kept staring out at the yard. "Do you think his wife will forgive him?"

"If Téa really understands the close bond between the Kaiba brothers—and I know she does—then I think she will," Rebecca said. "Like I said, she never blamed him for what happened. And I think she understood why he reacted the way he did. He blamed himself, even if others didn't. Kind of like you."

". . . Yusei seemed to understand why I reacted as I did, once all the pieces came together," Kalin reflected.

"From the few snippets I've overheard, I gather that you were mixed up in that Dark Signer mess," Rebecca said. "You were one of them, I believe?"

"Yes," Kalin said. "I will never not be ashamed of what I did. There was no excuse for it, no matter what was going on in my mind."

"Well, in any case, you're sure not the same person as the ‘troubled kid' who joined the Dark Signers," Rebecca remarked. "I never met him and I'm glad I didn't. He sounds like he was a real creep. But you . . . you're different. In fact, you're completely his opposite." She folded her arms. "You might not like hearing this, but maybe joining the Dark Signers was good for you in the end."

Kalin whipped around to glare at her in disbelief. "Just what are you saying?!" he demanded in outrage. "It was good that I joined a plot to destroy the world in order to get revenge on my best friend for something he didn't even do?!"

"No," Rebecca said. "But your immense sorrow and regret seem to have brought you back down to Earth. You can't change the past, unfortunately, but what happened in the Dark Signers can either make or break you. Kaiba let Zero Reverse break him. Are you going to be like that, closing yourself off to everybody who still loves you because you can't forgive yourself? Or are you going to rise above it and be a better person than that troubled kid?"

". . . I'm searching to find out if that's even possible," Kalin said. "Right now I don't know."

"Well, if you're in doubt, think about how much faith your friends still have in you," Rebecca said. "They see the good person in there, even if you can't. If you can't trust yourself, why can't you trust them?"

". . . Because I think they're blind to the truth," Kalin confessed.

"You can say that even after Yusei saw you at your very worst?" Rebecca scoffed. "Yusei isn't being naive or turning a blind eye to all the bad things you were capable of. It's just that he sees all of you, both good and bad." She pushed away from the wall. "Maybe you really are hopeless."

Standing near enough to hear, Nesbitt flinched. He had thought that about himself so many times, but his loved ones never had. If they had given up on him, he knew he couldn't have pulled through. It was only because they had never lost sight of his good heart and had kept reminding him of it that he had finally pulled out of the worst of the pit of self-hatred.

Sensing eyes on him, Kalin turned to look at the man who had admitted that he struggled with self-hatred too. Nesbitt had certainly said things that showed he understood much of what Kalin felt, even if the specifics of their actions weren't the same.

". . . Does it ever go away?" Kalin finally spoke. "The horrible empty pit inside yourself that tells you how rotten you are and how everyone who thinks otherwise is just blind?"

Nesbitt sighed. "Yeah, it can," he said. "But you can't overcome it all on your own."

Kalin sighed too. "How do I overcome it at all? If I can't believe what everyone else says . . ."

"If you can't believe their words, start by thinking about how you trust them and their judgment on other matters," Nesbitt said. "Then maybe you can gradually start considering the idea that maybe they know you better than you think, and that them seeing value in you might not be just a crazy idea."

"It's a nice thought," Kalin admitted. "I wish I could feel that way."

"Maybe you can, in time," Nesbitt said. "I didn't feel like that overnight."

The door to the alternate Seto's home office opened and he slowly walked out, looking completely overwhelmed.

"Well?" Joey asked. "What'd she say?"

Téa frowned. "I'm sure it was a private conversation, Joey. We just need to know about the ring."

"That's what I meant!" Joey defended.

"She's coming right out," the alternate Seto said, sounding far away. "And she's bringing the ring. She kept it safe all this time."

"That's great," Yugi smiled.

The alternate Seto shook his head. "I pushed her away. How can she forgive me and want to come back? She's just dropping everything to come, even her performance tonight. . . ."

Téa gave him a sad look. "If you don't know that, Kaiba, maybe you don't know her very well."

"It's not about her," Kalin spoke up. "It's about himself and how he feels about himself."

Seto nodded. "He's right."

The alternate Seto nodded too. "Yes, that's exactly it." He stared out the window. "She was going to catch the next flight, but I arranged for a private jet to pick her up. She'll get here faster that way."

"That's awesome," Téa smiled.

"So then I guess all we can do is wait for her to come," Crump said.

"Pretty much," Luna said. "Everyone with magic needs to be here. When she comes, I'll let Ancient Fairy Dragon know and then she can tell the Yami Bakura over there to start using his magic ring at the same time all of you are using your magic objects."

"Great," Crump said.

"And in the meantime, we could take you guys on a tour of New Domino City!" Leo chirped. "It'll take a couple of hours for our Téa to get here, at least! There'll be plenty of time to see some things!"

"That sounds fun, doesn't it, guys?" Yugi looked up at everyone else.

"Yeah, let's do that!" Joey chirped. "It's better than just sittin' around trying to think of things to talk about!"

Almost everyone else chorused in agreement.

"I think I'll stay here, though," Mokuba said. "Someone should wait with this Seto."

"You don't have to do that," the alternate Seto said. But from his eyes, he liked the idea. This wasn't his Mokuba, but it was a Mokuba, and that was more than he'd had for 17 years.

"It's fine," Mokuba said. "I can see New Domino City later. Or . . . for that matter, why don't we all go? It will be a couple of hours or more. Why don't you come with us?" He looked up at the alternate Seto, who could only blink in surprise.

"Me?"

"I think that's a great idea," Téa smiled. "You should get out of the house more! Come on!"

Joey looked doubtful that the invitation would be accepted. But finally, slowly, the alternate Seto nodded. ". . . Alright."

Mokuba beamed.


	11. Chapter 11

New Domino City was an amazing sight for everyone who had come through the portal. The huge buildings and futuristic technology were so new to them. But there were more familiar things as well, such as the buildings that had survived the tragedy. And Christmas, as always, was a big deal in the city. Wreaths and garlands decorated downtown, with many homes featuring Christmas scenes and characters in their yards.

"This must look so awesome at night!" Serenity exclaimed.

"It does!" Carly gushed. "And there's big events like the Christmas carol sing-along, and the Christmas boutique, and stores staying open until midnight or later during the last week leading up to Christmas!"

"We have all those things in our Domino too," Serenity said. "I'm glad to know they still happen here."

Even the alternate Seto seemed surprised and amazed by some of the city. It was his Domino City, but he had stayed reclusive for so long that much of what it looked like now was new to him.

"It's pretty cool, huh?" Mokuba smiled up at him.

"It's impressive," the alternate Seto admitted, somewhat guardedly.

From Kalin's expression, this was all completely new to him. He touched a garland wrapped around a lamppost in wonder.

"What's Christmas like in the Satellite?" Mokuba asked.

"Not so elaborate," Kalin said, "but they do what they can. It's usually the biggest event in Satellite. Maybe now that the bridge finally connects the two parts of the city again, this Christmas will be happier for most."

"You can't really be planning to spend Christmas alone," Luna said in dismay.

"Yes," Kalin said. "It's just another day to me."

"But that can't be the way you want it," Luna protested.

"It's how it has to be," Kalin said.

"At least come to our Christmas party," Téa pleaded. "Whether you think it or not, you're not alone, Kalin. You have friends old and new who want to be with you."

Kalin again looked amazed and even in disbelief that such a thing could be true. But he could see that Téa really meant it, and that the rest of the group agreed with her.

". . . I'll come if I can," he said, and found he meant that as well.

Téa smiled. "Great! That's all we ask."

The alternate Seto's phone rang and he quickly answered it. "It's Roland," he said after a moment. "Téa's here."

"Great!" Joey chirped. "So are we goin' to pick her up or is she meeting us somewhere?"

"We're going there," was the reply. "And we might as well just do what we need to do when we get there. We don't have to be in a specific location for it to work, do we?"

"I don't think so," Luna said. "At least, Ancient Fairy Dragon didn't say we had to be."

The ride to the private airfield was filled with excitement and nervousness. What would happen when they got there? How would the reunion between the alternate Seto and Téa go? How would the reunion with the missing people go? Could they really be retrieved, or was it just an amazing dream?

"I wonder how much of this world's future really will be ours," Téa remarked.

"As much as we choose," Seto said. "We know what happens in this other dimension now. We can make sure certain things don't happen . . . and work towards other things happening."

Téa started to smile. Seto had been alright with the news of their counterparts marrying. Judging from what he had said earlier, he seemed to be willing to work towards the same thing eventually happening in their world. She still didn't know if he had figured out whether or not he had romantic feelings for her, but this was certainly encouraging.

"I agree," Duke said. "That's all we can do. But that should be a lot." He drew an arm around Serenity and she smiled and leaned into it.

Tristan looked away and set his jaw.

Serenity sighed. This didn't seem like a good time or place to try talking to him, with everyone still around, but she felt badly for him.

At last they reached the airfield and the alternate Seto stepped out, heading towards the private jet. A brunette woman came out the door and down the steps to meet him.

"Okay, that's gotta be surreal," Crump said with a glance at Téa. She was definitely staring at her other self.

Instead of standing for a long moment, the alternate Téa ran right over to her Seto, who caught her in his arms. The others couldn't hear what was being said, but Mokuba was sure he saw the alternate Seto saying over and over how sorry he was.

"I always understood," the alternate Téa said. "Even though sometimes I was so frustrated with you I didn't know how to stand it." She reached up, slipping the ring onto his finger. "Now, let's see about getting everyone back."

The alternate Seto kissed her and stepped back. "Let's."

Joey slowly shook his head. "This is really Kaiba?"

"A much humbler and sadder Kaiba," Atem said quietly. "Tragedy changes people."

"It sure does," Joey frowned. He wasn't entirely sure he liked seeing a Seto like this, considering the circumstances. Although in general, he certainly wasn't opposed to the idea of Seto gaining humility.

Tristan also looked shaken. It was definitely uncomfortable and undeniably sad. Yet on the other hand, this alternate Seto and Téa seemed to make quite the pair. Wistfulness flickered in Tristan's eyes. He still wished that he could have that with Serenity. But apparently that didn't happen in this other world, and he had less and less hope that it could happen in his world either.

Luna got out of the car. "I just talked to Ancient Fairy Dragon," she reported. "The Yami Bakura over there is ready."

"And so are we," Yami Bakura said.

Once again all the magic users concentrated, as did Luna. Many silent prayers went up as everyone hoped this attempt would work. Then, slowly, a glow began to form in mid-air.

"Look!" Téa gasped.

It wasn't long and the glow increased and pulled back, revealing another world on the other side. Rebecca immediately ran over, staring into the hole at the beautiful trees and meadows. "Yugi?!"

The alternate Seto was also tensely staring. He didn't dare stop concentrating, but he kept watching the hole, desperate, longing for a familiar face to suddenly appear.

Would he really recognize his Mokuba? 17 years had passed. Would his Mokuba recognize him? Sometimes he didn't recognize himself.

Was any of this really happening? Maybe it was all just a dream or a delusion and he would wake up to cold, hard reality before long.

But suddenly it was real.

"Seto?"

The alternate Seto went stiff, his breath catching in his throat. 17 years may have passed, but he could never forget that voice. "Mokuba," he rasped.

Then a handsome man was leaping through the portal, past Rebecca, and into his brother's arms. The years fell away; he wasn't 40 or even 23, but 10 again. Both brothers were soon tearing up at their long-awaited reunion.

The alternate Lector stared in awe. "Mokuba," he whispered. "He truly is alive. . . . This is real. . . ."

The alternate Yugi was coming through now, smiling as he embraced Rebecca, who sobbed and clutched him close. "Oh Yugi . . . I never stopped believing there was a way to still reach you," she choked out.

"And now we all finally found it," the alternate Yugi said softly.

The alternate Téa looked from her childhood friend to her brother-in-law and back again. "Yugi . . . Mokuba . . ." she whispered in happiness.

"Hello!" came another voice. The alternate Bakura stepped through, a tuxedo cat held in his arms. The alternate Yami Bakura swiftly followed, and the portal closed up behind him once he was through.

Oreo leaned forward, studying her counterpart with suspicious fascination. "Murr?"

The alternate Oreo held out a paw, lightly batting in the younger cat's direction. Oreo responded in kind.

The alternate Bakura chuckled. "We have something for your Oreo, actually," he said. He smiled as he held out a collar with a blue charm, similar to the red charm his Oreo was wearing.

Bakura blinked in surprise and hopeful amazement as he took it. "Is this really . . . ?"

"The same life-extending force that our Oreo has," the alternate Bakura said. "As soon as we knew we had a chance to finally come home, and that alternate versions of all of us were here and largely responsible, we wanted to do this for you."

"It was Bakura's idea," the alternate Yami Bakura grunted.

Bakura just chuckled. This other Yami Bakura was likely just as much of a softie as his, even if neither would ever admit it.

He sobered as he looked down at the object. "Thank you . . . so much," he stammered. "I must admit, I was hoping to ask you how you'd obtained yours and if there was any hope of getting another."

Oreo studied the collar and gave it a cautious bat. After a thorough sniffing, she decided she approved.

The alternate Bakura nodded in encouragement. "It's every pet owner's dream," he said softly. "I could scarcely believe it when a kind Duel Monster gave this to us."

Yami Bakura slowly took the collar from Bakura and placed it around Oreo's neck. "And just how long does this work?" he wondered.

"Well, there is no exact amount," the alternate Bakura said. "You wouldn't really want that anyway, would you? Knowing every aspect of the future would make it hard to enjoy the present."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Bakura said. "We're certainly grateful for any extra time this gives us with Oreo."

Oreo purred loudly in agreement, placing her front paws on Bakura's shoulder.

"You guys should all totally come to this Christmas party we got invited to tomorrow night!" Leo chirped.

"Leo!" Luna hissed. "They might not have room for more! And it's not our party; we shouldn't be doing the inviting!"

"Oh, it's fine," Téa said. "Leo's right, you should all come! You're all very welcome."

The alternate Téa looked over from where she had joined the happy reunions and smiled. "I think we'll do that," she said.

Lector made his way over to Kalin with a smile. "You know, Mr. Kessler, none of this would have been possible without you," he remarked.

Kalin stared at him. "Without me?!"

"Of course. You told us of your world, and the portal, and that was what started all of this." Lector looked to the alternate group. Now the alternate Lector was pulling his Mokuba into a hug. "Surely you see what a positive difference you made."

". . . Yes. I suppose so." Kalin still looked unsure, but he had definitely perked up more at Lector's words. "All of you really brought it about, though. . . . And I wasn't trying to be a hero, per se."

"But you are regardless," Nesbitt spoke. He had been told similar things, under similar circumstances. Every bit of encouragement helped in his prior states of mind, and he hoped the same effect would happen with Kalin.

Kalin slowly started to smile. It was a good feeling, he had to admit. Even if he felt he couldn't take credit for much of it.

"You will come back with us tonight, won't you?" Lector asked.

Kalin paused. "I . . . still to keep moving," he said slowly.

"I figured as much," Lector sighed. "But will you at least stay long enough to attend the Christmas party tomorrow night?"

Kalin considered that and slowly nodded. "I'll do that. So . . . yes, I'll come back with you just for tonight."

"Wonderful," Lector smiled.

The alternate Seto looked over at the whole group. "Thank you," he rasped. "You gave me—all of us—back what we'd lost. Nothing I can say or do is good enough to show my appreciation."

"Your thanks is plenty good enough," Yugi said. "And seeing all of you happy and together again."

Rebecca smiled. "It never would have been possible without all of you. And you too, Luna." She looked to the little girl.

"I'm just glad to help," Luna insisted, but she was beaming.

Serenity smiled too. "This is wonderful," she said softly. But then she caught sight of a movement out of the corner of her eye. Tristan was quietly slipping away from the group and standing off to the side, staring into space. Deciding it was time, she went over to him. "Tristan?"

Tristan sighed. "Everything's worked out great here," he said. "And I guess . . . knowing what happens to you in this world, you're feeling pretty happy."

"Just because it happens here doesn't mean it will happen for us," Serenity said. "But . . . I have to admit I hope it will. You know I care about you, don't you, Tristan?"

"Yeah," Tristan said awkwardly. "Just . . . not the way I care about you. . . ."

Serenity laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said. "You're a wonderful guy, Tristan, and I know you'll find someone who does care about you that way."

"It's just . . ." Tristan pushed himself away from the wall. "It sounds hollow when all I really want is to have you."

Serenity's smile was sad now. "I know." She inwardly sighed, not sure of what else she could say.

". . . I'm . . . happy for you, though, if that's what you really want," Tristan managed to say.

"Thank you, Tristan," Serenity said.

"Well," Téa spoke up from where the rest of the group still was, "I think we should leave these guys to get reacquainted after so many years. We should be going home now."

"You've given all of us our lives back, in so many ways," the alternate Téa said. "I can't ever thank you enough for what you've done for us."

"We were all happy to help," Yugi said, blushing a bit.

"We'll take you back to the portal," Rebecca said. "You can't walk all that way! And we'll definitely come to your party."

"Great!" Yugi smiled.

"It's going to be an odd party, with multiples of ourselves," Yami Bakura grunted to Bakura.

"Oh Yami," Bakura chuckled. "It will be wonderful."

No one could counter that.

**Epilogue**

With the extended guest list, everyone was relieved that they had already planned on hosting the Christmas party at Penguin World. There was plenty of room there to accommodate everyone, and the party room was ready and waiting the following night.

"Do you think they'll all really come?" Serenity worried as she and Téa hung the last of the garland.

"I think so," Téa said. "The only one I'm not sure about is Kalin."

"He stayed with us overnight, so he's here!" Crump chirped as he and the rest of the Big Five entered with the mysterious boy.

"Oh good," Téa smiled.

Kalin looked around the event hall in curious approval. "It looks good," he said.

"You bet it does!" Crump said. "The place was basically fixed up before, but we wanted to add some finishing touches."

"It's good we already decided to hold our Christmas party tomorrow instead of tonight," came an eerily similar voice from the doorway. "We wouldn't have wanted to miss this!" The alternate Crump was standing there with his Big Five.

"Hey!" Crump waved. "Come on in!"

George the Emperor Penguin was also on his way in, escaped from his compound again and refusing to miss the party. Then he stood stock-still, looking back and forth between the two Nesbitts.

"Um, gee," Crump remarked. "I didn't stop to think about this possible problem. What do you think he's gonna do?"

It didn't take George long to decide. He shrieked in utter delight and waddled first to his Nesbitt, then the alternate one. Both petted him, shaking their heads in disbelief.

"I believe George is going to be having twice the fun tonight," Gansley said in amusement.

"I wonder what he thinks of there being two Nesbitts," Crump said. "Do you think he understands about alternate dimensions?"

"Ordinarily I'd think you'd insist he would, Crump," Johnson smirked. "In any case, he certainly seems to accept them both as real Nesbitts."

Lector chuckled. It was good to be able to relax and celebrate together after all they had experienced. They were all alive and well together, and now, so were their counterparts.

"I hope you don't mind if there's even more people," the alternate Lector said in some concern. "Our Yugi wanted to invite his grandfather and our other friends, and I believe Miss Luna wanted to bring friends of hers once she knew it was alright to invite others."

"We're well-stocked," Crump said. "We've got a ton of food coming! Everything's fine."

"Hey, what're we gonna do about the portal anyway?" Joey wondered. "Are we going to close it up after Christmas?"

"I think we should leave it open unless we have to close it," Yugi said. "Then we can still see our new friends."

"Sounds good to me," Joey said.

The other guests were soon on their way in as well. When Luna appeared, she was in the company of Leo and several people unfamiliar to the large group overall.

"Hi," she greeted. "I hope it's okay that I brought the other Signers. I wanted them to see all this."

"The more, the merrier," Téa smiled.

"Wow, would you look at this spread?!" a young man with spiky red hair exclaimed. "This is something else!"

"This is Crow Hogan," Luna said with a smile.

As she went down the list introducing the other Signers, a boy who looked remarkably similar to Dr. Fudo stepped out from the others, focusing on the blue-haired young man who was starting to sink back into the crowd. "Kalin?!"

Kalin froze as he was spotted. "Yusei. . . . Luna planned this all along, didn't she?"

Yusei smirked a bit. "Yeah, I think she did." He quickly sobered. "Kalin, I know you're still hurting, but I don't blame you. I can't, not now that I know the entire story."

"Yusei. . . ." Kalin clenched a fist. "I chose to join the Dark Signers. I hurt you, so much. . . ."

"You made your own choice, but you were manipulated into it at your lowest point," Yusei said. "You were scared and alone and you felt betrayed. Roman Goodwin took unfair advantage of you. I forgive you, Kalin. I forgave you long ago."

Kalin just stared at him and slowly shook his head. "I still don't understand how you can. I can't forgive myself."

Yusei sighed. "I know. And I know you're probably going to keep searching for a way to do that. But for now, for tonight . . . why don't we enjoy ourselves? It's Christmas." He held out a hand. "We haven't spent one together in years."

Finally Kalin nodded. "Alright." He managed a smile. "That does sound nice."

Crump stood back and watched. "That Luna's a sly kid," he remarked. "She actually found a way to get the two of them together! We sure didn't have any luck with that."

Lector smiled. "I hope it will help him."

"Even if it doesn't fix everything, it might plant a seed," Nesbitt said. "And that might be good enough for now."

Lector drew an arm around him in silent agreement. At Christmastime, there were miracles big and small. They were certainly experiencing their share of them.

Maybe more than their share.


End file.
